The Edmonton Police Chief said he’ll be asking City Council for about 80 more officers in order to help keep up with the demand.
Chief Rod Knecht made the comment while having coffee with the media Monday morning, an informal chat he holds a few times a year.
Knecht said service calls have skyrocketed by 9,000 compared to last year, which is an increase he believes is linked to the price of oil.
“When oil is up we're busy and when oil is down we're really busy. A lot of folks are coming back to Edmonton from Fort McMurray, Cold Lake, other points north,” said Knecht.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers estimates 35,000 jobs have been lost in the oil patch so far this year.
“The crime rate is linked, to a certain degree, to the price of oil. People are unemployed and a lot of folks are sitting here in Edmonton and waiting for things to pick up in the north,” said Knecht.
Knecht said he’ll be asking City Council for the increase in the number of officers during budget talks in November.
“We're going to have to weigh the police ask against all the others that are coming through,” said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. “The irony is that if the economic downturn is creating more demand for police services, it’s also creating a greater expectation from citizens for a more modest tax increase.”
Iveson said he’s had numerous conversations with the province about Edmonton police funding.
With files from Brenna Rose
