The APP is a two-year plan, running from April 1 to March 31 of each year. In developing each APP, The City and RCMP together conduct public consultation to understand community concerns and priorities as they relate to crime and safety. The APP is then developed using real-time crime data and public feedback to understand community priorities and areas of focus. RCMP work in consultation with City Council to determine top policing priorities for our community over two-year periods.

2024-2026 APP

Public consultation for the 2024-26 Annual Policing Plan (APP) took place in January and February 2024. The City and Red Deer RCMP worked together to finalize the APP, and it was formally adopted by City Council on April 2, 2024. A What We Heard report will be posted when it becomes available.

Priority #1 - Intelligence-led Police Response

The goals within Intelligence-led Police Response strive to enhance our response to persons crimes, street level drug crimes, and property crimes by using intelligence and specialized resources to drive strategic, proactive policing and enforcement.

1. Persons Crimes: Police response and public education will be determined through the analysis and application of statistical data, Crime Severity Index (CSI) and intelligence.
2. Street Level Drugs: Enhancing community safety by deterring offenders from trafficking drugs and narcotics through the use of proactive enforcement and targeted investigations. RCMP will continue to support Red Deer Drug Court to provide offenders programming to deter them from committing further crimes.
3. Property Crimes: Property crimes will continue to be reduced by improving investigational standards and techniques, applying strategic, data-driven approaches, increasing crime prevention initiatives, and improving member training.
4. Virtual Opioid Dependency Program (VODP): The RCMP is developing and launching a new program in conjunction with Alberta Health Services (AHS), which will pair two RCMP members with two paramedics. These teams will make proactive patrols and work closely with provincial programming to offer assistance and access to treatment for the vulnerable and affected population.
5. Police and Crisis Teams (PACT): RCMP will continue to pursue efforts to increase Police and Crisis Team (PACT) resources, as well as continue to collaborate with the Social Diversion Team.
6. Victim Services Unit (VSU): RCMP will increase the connections with victims and provide more support and referrals during the court process by ensuring Victim Services are engaged.
7. Downtown Patrol Unit (DPU): The mandate of the Downtown Patrol Unit will have an increased focus on community response. Liaisons for downtown businesses and community partners will be assigned.
8. Member training and Learning Plans: RCMP will ensure members receive ongoing, current training to ensure policing skills are evolving and responsive to meet the community’s needs. Learning plans will provide members with direction to achieve a comprehensive, well-skilled police force. Promotional writing and Job Simulation Exercise (JSE) preparation, along with an internal mentorship program, will work towards sharing and enhancing the skillsets and expertise amongst members of the detachment.

Priority #2 - Police Visibility and Public Safety

The goals within Police Visibility and Public Safety focus on improving safety along Red Deer’s roads, trails, downtown, and community spaces. RCMP will lead this work through enhanced patrols, increased project-based traffic enforcement, use of specialized modern equipment, and increased crime prevention education.

1. Trail Safety: RCMP will continue active patrols of the downtown and community’s trail network, while providing proactive enforcement and education to enhance the safety of these spaces.
2. Road Safety: Strategic, project-based enforcement (such as alcohol and drug check stops, distracted driving, and school zone patrols) will enhance the safety of our roads for both motorists and pedestrians.
3. Noise By-law: Spearheaded by the Community Peace Officers (CPO), this initiative strives to increase education and enforcement of the Noise By-law.
4. Crime Prevention: Enhancing community communication through development of social media tools, traditional media relations, and community consultations and outreach.
5. Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS): Red Deer will modernize its response to crimes-in-progress by utilizing drone capabilities.
6. Strategic Relationship with Red Deer Compliance: Establish a liaison role to work closely with the City to ensure the by-laws that assist police in providing an effective response are fully applied and enforced, such as the Community Standards By-law.

Priority #3 - Community Engagement and Partnerships

Red Deer RCMP will work with community associations, support services, education and youth-based organizations, and the broader community to provide greater outcomes for the community.

1. Diversity and Inclusion: RCMP will enhance the existing internal diversity committee by identifying a diversity coordinator that will work both within the organization and with community partners. Red Deer will create an OIC Advisor Committee that will reflect the many different cultures within our community.
2. Youth: Diverting youth away from the judicial system is a top priority. RCMP will continue to connect and communicate with youth by planning events and town halls to ensure youth have a loud voice with the RCMP.
3. Communication and Social Media: Enhancing community interaction through the use of social media tools, traditional media relations, and community consultations.
4. Strengthen community partners and Stakeholders: Community safety requires full participation of the community. RCMP will work to identify both internal and external opportunities for collaboration, and strategies to provide greater outcomes for citizens of Red Deer.
5. Improve relationship with Justice Partners and Restorative Justice: RCMP will work with Crown and Probation to strengthen our relationships to enhance the judicial process from arrest to release, with the intention of improving outcomes for both victim and offender. RCMP will continue to learn from and support the Pre-Charge process and pursue diverting files from the judicial system through Restorative Justice.

2022-2024 APP

The 2022-2024 Annual Policing Plan was formally adopted by City Council on June 20, 2022. The 2022-2024 APP outlines priorities as follows:

Priority #1 - Police Response and Visibility

The goals within Police Response and Visibility strive to enhance our response to mental health calls and our visibility in the community through stronger working partnerships, trauma training for members, increasing specialized unit resources (PACT, DPU, Traffic), proactive patrols in key community areas (such as trails and downtown) and an enhanced community education and communication strategy.

This priority includes goals to enhance response to mental health, provide enhanced community education and communications, to increase feelings of safety in the downtown and trail systems and to improve road safety.

Priority #2 - Crime Reduction

During APP Consultations, one of the community’s greatest concerns was the amount of property crime occurring in Red Deer. There are many ways in which Red Deer RCMP plan to reduce crime in the next two years, including strategic, data-driven approaches, enhanced investigational techniques, increased crime prevention initiatives and improved member training.

This priority includes goals to reduce all types of property crime, develop crime prevention initiatives and a focus on member training and development.

Priority #3 -Engaged Community Partners

Community safety requires full participation of the community. Red Deer RCMP will work to identify both internal and external opportunities and strategies to provide greater outcomes for every Red Deerian.

This priority includes goals to develop a diversity and inclusion strategy for the detachment, increase youth diversion and improve relationships with justice partners.

Read the full 2022-2024 Annual Policing Plan report (pdf).

Public consultation

The City and Red Deer RCMP engaged members of the public and staff to understand experiences and concerns relating to community safety, which help identify areas of focus for policing priorities. In February 2022, a public survey and series of targeted focus group sessions were held to collect public feedback. As part of the engagement process, we committed to sharing a report summarizing what we heard during public consultations: 2022-2024 APP Public Consultation: What We Heard Report (pdf).