Morden, Winkler contemplate regional police force
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Communities surveyed on amalgamation of services
Posted By Lorne Stelmach
Updated 25 days ago
By Lorne Stelmach
The Town of Morden and City of Winkler are considering merging their police departments into a single crime-fighting force.
And they wanted to know what their residents had to say about it.
Both communities had posted a survey on their websites in a bid to get some feedback about the idea.
"It was a good opportunity for people to express their views," agreed Morden Mayor Doug Wilson.
"It's important to get community buy-in on something like this," said Winkler Mayor Martin Harder. "We want to hear what people's thoughts are about it."
Discussions about whether one regional police force would better serve the Winkler-Morden area than two have been ongoing for the last few years, but now things are moving into high gear, Harder said.
A consulting firm has been hired to take a look at the feasibility of a single department, and, in addition to this survey, a number of different community stakeholders will be asked for their input on the matter, he said.
Merging the two departments will lead to a more efficient regional force, Harder said, with more funding support for specialized police services and training.
"We just want to make sure we have the proper police service protection," Harder said.
It will also do away with any jurisdictional concerns as the two communities grow ever closer to each other.
"The crooks don't stay in one community, so (this way) you have a better ability to protect the residents of both," said Harder.
Wilson said the communities are working to be proactive on issues like this.
"And we are looking for an amicable amalgamation ... rather than having the province tell us to do this," said Wilson, who agreed that there would be efficiencies to be gained through having a regional force.
"As we get larger, we would be able to have more specialized skills available to us," he said.
The surveys were due in by August 8.
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