RCMP to add downtown Moncton patrols in eight-week pilot

Moncton council approved $288,000 for an eight-week RCMP overtime pilot starting March 16 to provide 24/7 downtown visibility patrols; the program will be evaluated after four and eight weeks.

Moncton city council approved $288,000 for an eight-week pilot to increase RCMP visibility in the downtown core. The pilot starts March 16 and will provide a minimum of two RCMP officers on foot, bike or in a car on a 24/7 basis. The proposal was brought forward by Coun. Charles Léger after a local business coalition raised concerns about property crime. City staff had previously outlined a longer-term option to expand community safety officers, but that would take more time and cost more. Key details: - The pilot is being run as an RCMP overtime, or "cost-recovery event," with officers signing up voluntarily for overtime shifts. The city will pay about $36,000 per week, for a total of roughly $288,000 over eight weeks. - City staff estimated an alternative of hiring eight community safety officers would cost about $750,000 per year (roughly $14,500 per week) and would require time to recruit and train. - The recommendation for the RCMP overtime pilot came from the council committee on crime reduction, which meets in private. - The pilot will be evaluated after four weeks and again at the end of the eight-week period, and council will discuss whether to proceed in mid-May. - The patrol pilot will coincide with other Codiac RCMP initiatives, including a new dedicated property crime investigative team and the March 11 launch of "Car 67," a weekday mobile response pairing an RCMP officer with a social worker in partnership with the Vitalité Health Network. Summary: The pilot is intended to increase visible RCMP presence downtown and to provide data on outcomes and costs. Council will review evaluation results after four weeks and again at the end of the eight-week pilot and will discuss whether to continue or pursue other options in mid-May.