WINNIPEG – The Manitoba Liberals want to create a provincially-run police service if elected this fall.
“For too long, Manitoba has had some of the highest crime rates in Canada. Under the PCs cuts and inaction, it is only getting worse,” said Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont. “There are too many gaps in policing in Manitoba due to years of budget cuts and it is time to invest in a solution that will work province-wide.”
Lamont said a Manitoba Liberal Government would create the Manitoba Police Service by working in partnership with First Nations, the AMM and other stakeholders.
In addition to local community police offices, the Manitoba Police Service will complement the work of the RCMP, Municipal Police Services, and First Nations Police Services with special units dedicated to:
Indigenous policing
Border security, to stem the flow of illicit drugs into Manitoba
Anti-gang & Organized Crime
White Collar and Commercial Crime
Human trafficking
Recruits will be trained and reflect the population in Manitoba.
The creation of the MPS also follows the recommendations of the recently released National report into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which calls for the creation of a specialized indigenous unit led and staffed by First Nations to complement and enhance the work being done by First Nations Police Forces.