WANTED - MORE OFFICERS

It may not look any different from the outside, but the Lethbridge police
department is taking on a whole new look on the inside.

In his first month on the job, police Chief John Middleton-Hope has
initiated a major restructuring which he says will help the service make
the most of its resources and address staffing shortages in key areas such
as street patrols and drug investigations.

Key to the plan is funding for six more police officers in 2003, which he
will seek from city council next month in the new three-year police budget.
Beefing up police presence in the downtown core with more foot patrol
officers is a top priority.

"The two-person downtown beat we have is ineffective. Those six bodies will
go right into the downtown beat," he says.

Visible patrols in police cars don't decrease crime, he adds.

"We need police out walking the streets where it's appropriate, interacting
with the public."

An expanded eight-officer downtown unit would deal with problems such as
public drunkenness and violence associated with the city's homeless
population -- issues which have long been the bane of downtown business owners.

More attention would also be paid to monitoring activities around downtown
bars and public spaces as well as ensuring the safety of seniors who live
nearby and other area patrons.

Middleton-Hope is also seeking money for four more civilian communications
staff to work in the department's dispatch centre, which handles 9-1-1
calls for most of southern Alberta. Total

9-1-1 calls this year are projected to number about 30,000.

Other changes to the department's internal structure include consolidating
the service's five street patrol teams into four, a move also driven by the
fact the existing teams were chronically understaffed. In addition, he says
the three-person drug investigation unit is badly understaffed and requires
at least a doubling of its existing resources.

"We don't have a sufficiently resourced drug unit," he says.

Traffic enforcement has also suffered because traffic officers are
routinely called to pitch in by responding to domestic disputes and other
complaints.

That will end, he says, and traffic cops will focus on their primary
responsibility -- traffic education, investigation and enforcement.

"Our investigators are at capacity currently, and the reason for that is
that they're wearing two or three hats," he says.

A new executive officer's position will be created to handle media
relations and other responsibilities for the service. Also slated is
creation of a human resources development unit to "develop a preferred
workplace," he says, to enhance the service's ability to retain staff and
its competitiveness in recruiting new officers.

The new internal structure is expected to be in place some time this month.

Middleton-Hope emphasizes what he's seeking in the new budget are the
department's minimum requirements.

"Immediately could we use eight or 10 people? Absolutely," he says. "The
budget we are presenting is not a wish list.

"We're trying to be as fiscally responsible as is practicable," he adds.
"The reality is this area has been under-resourced."