Police response times in Strathmore and Chestermere are lower than average, according to RCMP.
On Monday (Oct. 28), the Operational Communications Centres (OCC) reported that response times across the province are faster than ever, with an average response time of 21.2 minutes.
However, according to Chris Spence, director of Alberta's OCC, the number is significantly lower in Strathmore and Chestermere.
"For the Town of Strathmore, the average call response time is 13.9 minutes from the time the call comes in until a member is on scene," said Spence. "In the Strathmore rural detachment, it would be 21.5 minutes."
Chestermere is looking similar, with an average response time of 13.2 minutes within the city limits.
Several factors can affect response time, such as the location of the caller, the seriousness of the report, and the information that police receive during the call.
"If there's an immediate threat to life or safety, we treat that as a high-priority event, and that would engage a quicker response time," mentioned Spence. "A lower response call, like a lost bike or a stolen garden gnome, would then dictate a lower response, and in some cases, we may not even have members attend."
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Other stats include 56 per cent of calls being responded to within 20 minutes and 15 per cent of high-priority calls being responded to in about five minutes.
As for how quickly police pick up the phone, 97 per cent of all calls are answered within two minutes, and 87 per cent are answered within one minute.
Spence said that advancements in technology and how residents approach reaching out to the police have helped to lower response times across the province.
"The RCMP does have an app that will drive you to our crime reporting tool. Individuals can report certain types of crimes and have it dispatched as needed at a later date and time, rather than sitting in a call queue," added Spence. "Quite often we find that people will call 911 whether it's an emergency or not. Things like a noise complaint or barking dog do not necessarily need to be on 911, and they do tie up a significant number of our resources."
The Alberta RCMP covers 99 per cent of the province's landscape, with police responding closest to an emergency regardless of their detachment or assigned unit.
