Chief Alan Murphy officially takes command of Medicine Hat Police Service

“So no real one type {of crime} I would point at right now but it’s just overall and I think members of our community can feel that, they can see it and that’s what we’ve got to start to deal with,” Murphy said prior to the ceremony. “These are complex, tough problems to deal with. That’s why we need the team approach, not just police but all frontline services – our political leaders, our social agencies, our communities – to tackle this as a group.”

Murphy’s family, friends, colleagues and fellow police chiefs as well as members of the community attended the official change of command ceremony Friday at the Cypress Centre. He says taking command of a police service a once-in-a-career event that only a small number of officers get the chance to experience.

After being in Medicine Hat only a few weeks in the interim position he loved the city, the people and the vibe in the community, and asked the police commission if he could apply for the permanent position. The request was granted and he then went through all the steps that any other candidate had to go through. The appointment became official at the Dec. 5 city council meeting.

“You can’t arrest your way out of this issue, nor should you try. Working together is the solution,” – _{Chief Alan Murphy on downtown concerns}

Murphy says at the same the community was growing on him he recognized there are great people in the MHPS and great things going on in the service that he wants to continue to build on.

The new chief says many of the problems downtown stem from mental health and addiction issues and he’ll work with community partners, social agencies, and political leaders on that.

“You can’t arrest your way out of this issue, nor should you try. Working together is the solution,” Murphy explains. “This community, what I’ve seen, works together and comes together to solve what’s a really complex problem and it mostly plays out visibly in our downtown.”

Inside MHPS, Murphy he’ll be focused on member wellness. He says they face significant trauma daily and have for years and the past practices of suppressing those things is not the way it should be done.

“First responders in all professions – and not even just first responders, all professions – mental health and wellness is a big deal right now and I think it’s probably always been but there’s more of a focus on it,” he says. “But our first responders, they can’t care for their communities if they’re also in need of care.”

“So I think we have great programs in place in this organization and our community to help with that. But I think we’ve got to continue to adapt, we’ve got to listen and we’ve got to make programs to help people with their mental health and wellness so they feel good about coming to work and they can do that job.”

Murphy adds he hopes to get to different the neighbourhoods and communities in the city to hear what they need and how the police service can help.

by Chris Brown

Chief Alan Murphy officially takes command of Medicine Hat Police Service

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