The new Pitt Meadows RCMP detachment is opening to mixed reviews from the citizens it serves.
A straw poll taken by the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News, speaking to citizens on the streets at random, shows some residents like the city having its own dedicated police force.
Others see the benefits of breaking a policing partnership with Maple Ridge as being outweighed by additional costs.
The big cost is the construction of a new detachment, a 19,000-square-foot building at 12486 Harris Rd., at an overall budgeted cost of $23.5 million.
“I’ve lived here 48 years, and I’ve never seen anything so stupid in all my life,” said Rod Smith, saying the building is too big for the small detachment.
“They’ll be renting out space in it.”
Smith did not like the location for the new building, saying it compromises playing fields and the Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall parking lot. He said the former location of the Otter Co-op would have been better.
He said with the construction of the new firehall, which just opened in 2023, the city has poured a lot of resources into emergency services. He would rather have seen the funds spent on getting traffic past the CP Rail crossing at Harris Road.
“That’s our underpass gone, right there,” he said of the police station.
Rob Kelley, who has lived in Pitt Meadows for 46 years, is also concerned about spending on the project.
“It’s an awful lot of money to pay for a building with four cops in it,” he said. “It’s a good thing, but cost us a lot of money.”
Sharon Sargent felt there was nothing wrong with the status quo.
“I think having a Ridge Meadows detachment makes more sense,” she said.
“They need more space than that tiny office where they are now,” she added, “but it [the new building] is a little grand.”
Others liked what they see as an increased police presence in the community, and greater visibility of the RCMP.
“It’s nice to have more local presence, and more visibility, and deter some stuff that’s creeping in,” said Trish Pagonis, who has been in the city 14 years. “We’re happy – it’s close to our home.”
She clarified that it’s important for police to keep more homeless encampments from springing up in Pitt Meadows.
“It’s awesome,” said local businessman Danny Kok. “This allows Pitt Meadows to control its own policing costs.”
He said the city will also get more say in how police are deployed and set priorities.
Kok likes the new building.
“It looks pretty good – if you’re going to do it, do it right.”
Udo Posanski, who retired to the city 12 years ago, sees it as a positive change.
“It’s a bonus to have our own police detachment,” he said. “For this community to have its own police building is positive.”
He expects residents to get faster service when they call.
“We should be independent from Maple Ridge. It’s too far,” said Posanski.
“Here, we’re right on the spot,” he said, gesturing at the new building. “There’s more positives than negatives.”
Policing costs $5.6 million, or about 23 per cent of the city’s annual operating budget, which has been paid for the Ridge Meadows detachment.
Effective April 1, the agreement between the two cities to share RCMP policing costs ends, and Pitt Meadows will be in control of its own police budget.