The Math Council Ignores: Why CSOs, Not More RCMP, Are the 24/7 Safety Solution
Superintendent Darin Rappel’s warning at Monday’s council meeting was spot on. The RCMP is facing a critical staffing bottleneck, and our streets are feeling the results. But the solution isn’t to keep pouring money into a broken bucket.
Right now, policing eats up a massive 38% of the city’s budget. That well has run dry. We cannot afford to simply throw more expensive, unavailable RCMP constables at a 24/7 problem. We have to work smarter.
The 2-for-1 Advantage
As a member of the Public Safety Committee, I have been pushing the obvious, cost-effective solution that council continues to ignore: a dedicated Community Safety Officer (CSO) framework.
The math is simple:
- Double the Footprint: Two CSOs can be hired for the exact same cost as a single RCMP constable.
- True 24/7 Coverage: Unlike our current bylaw officers who are locked into standard banker’s hours, a dedicated CSO rotation can be structurally scheduled around the clock to ensure there is never a gap in street presence.
The Structural Evolution: CSOs vs. Traditional Bylaw
The reality is that traditional bylaw officers and Community Safety Officers (CSOs) are built for entirely different jobs. While bylaw officers handle critical regulatory tasks like animal control, property disputes, and zoning, their role was never designed for active, high-visibility street-level intervention.
A CSO program requires a fundamentally different operational profile:
- Advanced Scope of Work: CSOs are trained specifically for street-level safety, proactive community engagement, and public disorder management, stepping into roles traditional bylaw isn’t equipped or contractually required to handle.
- Rigorous Physical and Tactical Standards: Because CSOs operate on the front lines 24/7 alongside emergency services, the position demands a rigorous level of physical fitness and tactical training to ensure they can safely handle high-stress, physically demanding situations.
- Complementary, Not Combined: We aren’t asking current bylaw officers to change what they do. We need to introduce a new, specialized class of personnel specifically conditioned for the physical and operational demands of 24/7 community safety.
By implementing a dedicated CSO framework, we ensure we have the right people with the right physical capabilities and training exactly where they are needed most.
Putting the Solution into Action: Taking Back Control
This is exactly what I brought forward during the Mayor’s Public Safety Committee meetings. I argued then, and it is even clearer now following the RCMP’s latest presentation, that we must move away from simply expanding traditional bylaw roles and aggressively implement a dedicated CSO program.
A CSO program shifts the burden away from expensive, hard-to-recruit RCMP constables by utilizing personnel who hold peace officer status. They can handle the essential street-level legwork that doesn’t actually require a full police response, freeing up the RCMP to focus on serious, major crime.
Most importantly, we control them. Unlike the RCMP, where municipal leaders have zero say over deployment, staffing levels, or internal policy, a municipal CSO program belongs to our community. We set the schedule, we dictate the priorities, and we ensure they are on the street 24/7. It is a cost-effective, accountable solution, and it’s time for council to stop dragging its feet and get it done.
Fair Funding for City-Wide Safety
City administration’s current line of thinking, that increased downtown patrols should be tacked onto a specialized tax levy for downtown businesses, is completely wrong. This isn’t a localized issue, and it shouldn’t be treated as another targeted cash grab against a single zone.
Public safety is a city-wide responsibility. A proper CSO program would benefit the entire community, and it should be funded by the entire city, not downloaded onto a specific group of commercial business owners who are already struggling with the status quo.
We are already paying heavily for policing. By implementing CSOs, we aren’t adding an entirely new tax layer; we are augmenting the toolset. We are providing uniform bodies to handle the routine, street-level work that doesn’t require a fully armed police constable, allowing the RCMP to focus on major crime. It’s a smarter use of our existing resources, and it protects taxpayers from unfair, localized penalties.
Sworn to Protect, Not Just Observe
A CSO program brings a level of accountability that private, third-party security companies simply cannot match. Unlike contracted security guards who are paid just to observe and report, CSOs are sworn peace officers. They are directly responsible not only to the City of Prince George, but to the public whom they serve.
They represent the vital next level up from uniform security, trained to actively interact with the community, de-escalate situations, and enforce bylaws directly. This isn’t passive patrolling; it’s a dedicated, active, and legally empowered force built specifically to protect our city and its residents.
Ultimately, this comes down to fiscal responsibility. We need to stop throwing money at the same old inefficient systems and start maximizing the value of every dollar our citizens contribute. Transitioning to a CSO program is the exact definition of making our tax dollars work smarter, not harder.