Alberta RCMP members demoralized over provincial police proposal, commissioner says

The head of Alberta's RCMP says the provincial government's proposal to form its own police force is hurting Mountie morale.

Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki says staff are concerned about their futures and the futures of their partners and their families.

Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says a made-in-Alberta police force would provide better policing for all regions, including improved response times with the use of community detachments and larger hubs.

Zablocki says the Alberta government's proposed model is very close to what the R-C-M-P already provides with its roughly 35-hundred members.