About 50 residents gathered Nov. 6 to talk policing, mental-health, and safety in Lloydminster, and one question stood out.
“What are we doing to have trained people go with the RCMP to mental-health calls?” asked Tigra Lee Campbell, co-founder of Lloydminster and Vermilion for Equity. “They can sometimes be afraid of the RCMP.”
Campbell’s question went to the heart of a challenge faced by police across the country, how to respond when a crisis is rooted more in trauma or illness than in crime.
RCMP Inspector Brian Nicholl said it’s an issue his detachment faces often, complicated by Lloydminster’s split-provincial status. Mental-health apprehensions are governed by two different laws, depending on which side of the border an officer acts on.
“If we apprehend somebody in Alberta, we have to take them as per the Mental Health Act in Alberta, which means to a designated facility in St. Paul,” said Nicholl. “If we apprehend in Saskatchewan, we can take them to the hospital in Saskatchewan.”
Nicholl said that difference pulls officers off the street for hours and creates confusion for health workers trying to follow two sets of rules. Still, he added, Lloydminster’s network of local supports has eased some of the strain.
Getting a Police and Crisis Team, because of the two provinces, is also complicated because of the bi-provincial status. Nicholl noted, there is a positive-side to the discussion.
“We’ve actually seen a decrease in mental-health files,” he said. “That’s because of the engagement of our officers and the Hub Committee. Lloydminster has phenomenal support services, a really good referral system.”
Darrell Dunn, chair of the new Municipal Policing Committee and a former Calgary Police Service officer, said the issue hasn’t changed much in decades.
“Most cops really don’t like doing wellness checks,” he told the crowd. “It’s such dynamite. You see the stripe on the pants, you see the uniform, and it triggers. It takes political will, bureaucratic will, and citizen involvement to build the kind of response teams that reduce that risk.”
Mayor Gerald Aalbers said the city and RCMP are trying to strengthen that bridge between policing and community care.
“It was important for me to be here to hear from people,” Aalbers said. “We want to make sure people have the opportunity to share concerns, and that the RCMP knows council supports them while recognizing we all play a role in public safety.”
Nicholl closed the evening by reminding residents that Lloydminster remains a safe community, but one that depends on engagement.
“Lloyd is a safe place,” he said. “There is crime in every community, but police are on top of it. The more we work together, the better we get.”
