(Dawson Thompson/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Residency report

Almost half of all P.A. police officers live outside city limits

Oct 23, 2020 | 5:25 PM

As Prince Albert city council considers a residency policy for some city employees, Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) has released numbers indicating 47 per cent of its sworn officers live outside city limits.

Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky, who is now running for mayor, requested the police residency report at a July council meeting.

On Thursday he told paNOW he believes officers should live and pay taxes in the community they serve, and advocated for a policy that would require new hires to have their home within corporate city boundaries.

“Seniors and blue collar workers are pinching their pennies to pay a hefty city tax and we’re paying [police officers’] big salaries,” Nowoselsky said. “And everybody living outside P.A. is paying to an R.M…. it’s a major imbalance.”

Having officers live in the city also builds trust between residents and the police, said Nowoselsky.

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Meanwhile President of the P.A. Police Association Josh Peterson said police officers are a part of the community, whether or not their homes are within city limits.

“Regardless of where our police officers live, a great number of them are involved in the community of Prince Albert, whether they’re on boards or volunteer their time coaching sports,” he said, adding they also contribute economically by buying groceries and doing other shopping in the city.

Officers who are members of tactical and specialty teams are required to live within 15 minutes of the police station so they are able to report for duty quickly, Peterson said. But the union would be opposed to any further residency policy, he continued.

According to the report, approximately 81 per cent of PAPS staff have confirmed their permanent addresses with the service. PAPS assumed those without civic addresses and confirmed box numbers lived outside city limits.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom