By rdnewsNOW staff

Data 2 Action

Alberta RCMP works with partners to introduce new community response teams to fight drug crimes

May 6, 2025 | 3:04 PM

The Alberta RCMP has introduced new community response teams in an effort to tackle drug crimes.

To address the concerns of fentanyl, the RCMP has implemented quick response crime reduction teams designed to take on a variety of issues. The community response teams focus on outreach to improve safety, reduce victimization, and address social determinants contributing to the root causes of crime.

The police work with frontline members and local partners in the community to address the driving causes of crime, which has reduced drug related crime, enhanced public safety, and engage supports to create wrap around services and programs.

From Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2025, Mounties say there were 87 incidents where fentanyl was seized in Alberta RCMP jurisdiction.

In those occurrences, approximately 1.4 kilograms of solid fentanyl and over 600 tablets were seized. In 36 of the 87 occurrences where fentanyl was seized, weapons were also seized ranging from knives and brass knuckles to rifles, shotguns, and 3D printed gun parts.

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Most of the fentanyl seizures were in larger communities such as Grande Prairie and Red Deer. However, police note there were seizures made in 34 detachment areas across the province.

“The misery that is caused to the people of Alberta due to illegal drugs and related crimes cannot be understated,” said S/Sgt. Luke Halvorson in Charge of Community Safety, in a media release. “The Alberta RCMP is committed to using every resource available, whether it’s at the detachment level or involves specialized supports like our Community Response Teams, to target the root causes of crime and to meet the danger that fentanyl and the illegal drug trade causes to the well-being of our community.”

The community response teams came as a result of a meeting on April 10 where the RCMP met with law enforcement partners to talk about concerns with illegal opioids including fentanyl in the province.

Alberta RCMP’s Data 2 Action (D2A) targets drug and fentanyl related crimes and is a crime reduction strategy that turns data and intelligence into tasks. It uses the four pillars of policing including targeted prevention, apprehension, suppression and offender management.

It’s designed to share RCMP resources with external partners across the province to help fight crime. D2A gains intelligence by looking at the crime being committed, what type of crime is impacting the area, and who is responsible for the most crime.

With the new technology, the RCMP is able to work with local partners to create strategies to respond to the needs of every community.

Some of the partners the Alberta RCMP will be working with includes ALERT, Edmonton Police Services, Calgary Police Services, Canada Border Services Agency, Alberta Crown Prosecution Services, Alberta Probation, Alberta Sheriffs, Alberta Association of Community Peace Officers, Canada Post, Criminal Intelligence Service Alberta, Recovery Alberta, the Canadian Center of Recovery Excellence, and the Government of Alberta.

“The Alberta RCMP is committed to doing all that we can to reduce the risk of opioids in our communities, but it isn’t just a police problem,” said Supt. Mike McCauley, Officer in Charge of the Alberta RCMP Crime Reduction Strategy. “Working with our partner agencies, we can develop a fulsome approach to address the underlying issues that lead to crime and the use of illegal fentanyl in our communities.”

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