Hampton renews RCMP contract to cover new town borders
Town was paying for policing under two different contracts after amalgamation, CAO says
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Hampton has agreed to changes to its RCMP contract as part of post-amalgamation housekeeping to get the whole area of the new town under its policing deal.
Council voted on the changes, which were scheduled as part of local governance reform, at its April 9 meeting, according to CAO Richard Malone. As part of local governance reform in January 2023, the town of Hampton was combined with the former local service district areas of Hampton, Kingston, Norton and Upham.
According to Malone, the former town, now Ward 2 was on a municipal policing contract with the RCMP, while the former LSD areas, now Ward 1 and 3, were part of the province’s contract. Malone said “we were already paying for the service,” so now they’re under one contract with 12 officers.
“We asked that they switch everybody over to one plan, which we wanted,” Hampton Mayor Bob Doucet said April 22. “It’s much better for us and it’s much easier because we can have input and say on stuff, about the total policing for the total area of Hampton now.”
RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette said that the local governance changes affected jurisdictional boundaries, leading to the change.
“We are pleased that Hampton continues to choose the RCMP as their municipal police force and we will work to ensure a smooth transition for their expanded boundaries and population,” Ouellette said in an email.
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