Police Chief Alan Murphy says a provincial police coudl potentially be a positive development. (Bob Schneider/CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder | @EliRidder

Medicine Hat police chief ‘very enthusiastic’ about Alberta police force proposal

Mar 14, 2024 | 3:15 PM

Medicine Hat Police Chief Alan Murphy said Thursday he is “very enthusiastic” about a proposed new Alberta provincial police force, saying it appears it will bolster the city’s police service rather than takeover operations.

“I realize we’re in the early going and there’s a lot of consultation that needs to happen yet…it’s potentially a good thing, but lots more detail to come,” Murphy told CHAT News.

If the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act introduced in the legislature Wednesday receives approval, the act would create a new organization that takes on the responsibilities of “police-like functions” currently carried out by Alberta sheriffs.

READ MORE: Alberta introduces bill to create independent police agency

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The new police agency will improve the government’s ability to response to communities’ requests for additional law enforcement support, according to Alberta’s public safety minister Mike Ellis.

“These changes are part of a broader paradigm shift that reimagines police as an extension of the community rather than as an arm of the state,” Ellis said.

The new police division would not aim to step on the toes of local agencies, Murphy explained.

“The intention of this is to support and augment municipal and just all policing in the province,” Murphy said.

“This is not to take over policing from Medicine Hat or to replace our resources, this is to augment and support us, as required,” he added.

“That is a good thing, I can only see that as a positive.”