The Chief of Police in Winkler is welcoming news of the Province's recently expanded Electronic Monitoring Program.
Initially launched in August in Winnipeg, the program was extended to some rural communities, including Winkler, last month.
"This is new to the Winkler area," said Ryan Hunt. "I think it's a really good step towards keeping our communities and victims safer."
Under the program, some offenders are equipped with an ankle monitor in order to be released from custody. That is monitored by The Commissionaires who alert local law enforcement if the offender breaches any conditions of a court order.
Under the expanded program, eligibility criteria was also widened to support survivors of intimate partner violence. Hunt believes this is a good thing.
"Police will be notified if an offender is coming within a radius of where they are supposed to be," he explained. "So, if they can't come close to the victim, we would get notified if they get close to that limit."
While he doesn't think there will be many offenders go through this process locally, Hunt says there will likely be some.
With files from Alexander Peters