STRONG RCMP WILL MAKE CANADA SAFER, HARPER SAYS

PM Affirms Promise Of $161M For Policing

REGINA - Investing $161 million in the RCMP will help stem rising
"serious crime" rates across the country, Prime Minister Stephen
Harper told cadets training at the RCMP academy yesterday.

"You don't need to be a criminologist to know that serious crime,
especially gun, gang and drug crime, is increasing in this country
and it is threatening the Canadian way of life," Mr. Harper said.

"It is going to take a strong RCMP, working in partnership with
strong local police forces and backed by a federal government
determined to tackle crime, to reverse this trend."

Mr. Harper reaffirmed his government's May 2 budget commitment of
$161 million in new funding to train 600 more officers and hire 400
civilian support staff, including federal prosecutors. This will be
done over two years.

The 400 civilians to be hired by the RCMP are in addition to those
they already have.

Expanding and refurbishing the RCMP training academy will cost
another $37 million. Projects include the mess hall, classrooms,
dormitories, and a new indoor firing range. Many of the facilities
are more than 50 years old, Mr. Harper said.

"There has never been this much growth at (the RCMP academy training)
depot for almost 100 years," said RCMP Commissioner Giuliano
Zaccardelli after Mr. Harper's speech.

No date for construction has been set. The plans have been drawn and
the projects will be tendered shortly, said Commissioner Zaccardelli.

Another 2,500 front-line local police officers are to be hired across
Canada, Mr. Harper said during his speech. His government is
currently working with provincial governments on this. Further
details aren't yet available.

An "aggressive" recruiting campaign is also being undertaken by the
RCMP. Between replacing retiring officers and trying to expand
personnel, recruiting for all police has become important, leading
some departments to go abroad in search of officers, Commissioner
Zaccardelli said. Around 8,500 people apply to the RCMP annually,
with only a "fraction" being accepted.

"It's very competitive out there. ... We can't just take it for
granted that people are going to come to us," the commissioner said.
"We want to make sure we get our share of great men and women to come
and join us."

In the future, the government plans to have 1,500 new officers
graduate each year from the training academy.

According to Statistics Canada, the overall national crime rate fell
in Canada by five per cent in 2005. However, the national homicide
rate rose by four per cent in 2005, while attempted murders rose by
14 per cent. As well, there were just over 3,000 aggravated assaults
nationally, up 10 per cent, and almost 50,000 assaults with a weapon,
up five per cent.