After more than a year of waiting the new Golden RCMP Detachment office is almost ready for its new tenants to move in.
On October 19 the RCMP will officially be operating out of their new office on 11th Avenue North.
Just like at their previous location, the new detachment is in a residential area, so Staff Sgt. Troy Durand invited the neighbours over for an open house on Wednesday Oct. 3.
“We wanted to have a neighbourhood get together just to talk about some concerns you may be having,” said Durand to the group of roughly 25 residents who came to voice their concerns, and get a tour of the new facility.
Already anticipating one of the residents’ issues, Durand put one rumour to rest right off the bat.
“There will be no lights or sirens blaring until we are in a safe area,” said Durand, adding that this is a practice his officers are already used to as they are currently in a residential area.
Another major concern in the neighbourhood was prisoner release. Durand assured everyone that all prisoners are sober when they are released, and that there has never been an issue with property damage when they leave.
Busses do come into the neighbourhood to take children to school, and Durand said they would work out a schedule so that prisoners would not be released during the times when children are walking to and from the bus stop.
“We’re going to do our best to make this an easy transition for everybody,” said Cst. Nicki-Jo Wolfram.
“My door is open, so moving forward, if you have any concerns, please come and see me,” added Durand.
Not all of the neighbours are worried. One attendee was glad, saying that there is quite a bit of partying done at the end of their street, and a police presence might put an end to that.
Despite all the doughnut jokes, given their new proximity to Tim Hortons, the 24 staff members at the RCMP detachment are very excited to get settle into their new location.
The new facility has a large bull pin area where everyone gets a desk, currently eight people are sharing two desks, a boardroom, two interrogation rooms, six holding cells, an upstairs mechanical room, and eventually a gym. There will also be change rooms, whereas now there are none.
The move starts on Oct. 15, and the new office will be fully functioning on Oct. 19.
