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SYDNEY Cape Bretons municipal workers have come out in support of the Cape Breton Regional Police Services (CBRPS), and is urging the mayor and council to reject the RCMPs proposal and hand the regions future policing needs over to the regional services.

We now have a capable police force with a proven track record, says Ann Louise Walker, a CBRPS records clerk and a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 933. We dont want someone transferred from as far away as Regina to look after the policing needs of our community.

Most of the officers within the regional police force are from our community, says Carol Evely a CBRPS administrative secretary and also a member of CUPE local 933. There is a greater trust and a stronger bond between the people and the regional police. For the safety of our families and our businesses we need community policing.

Municipal workers are not the only ones that have come out in support of regional police proposal. The Cape Breton Regional Municipalitys senior managers and administrative staff also favour the regional police, and a report commissioned by CBRM analysed both proposals and determined that the regional police force was clearly the better option for the community.

By supporting the regional police, 177 permanent police jobs are guaranteed to stay in the community along with approximately 40 50 civilian jobs which include dispatch, clerical, cleaners and mechanics, says Walker. According to the RCMPs proposal, only 130 officers would be deployed in the region.

She adds that even with only 130 officers deployed, the regional municipality would save little if the mayor and council decide on the RCMP proposal. RCMP will cost the community $12. 8 million per year, while the CBRPS would cost $13.6 million per year. But the RCMP proposal does not take into account the 3.4 million in transfer costs and the transfer of vehicles and equipment.

The mayor and council is expected to decide on the police service that will take sole responsibility for policing the region during tomorrow nights scheduled council meeting.

For more information, please contact:
Ann Louise Walker
842-2905
Carol Evely
563-5100

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