Map shows large area covered by Broadview and Kipling RCMP. CITIZEN PHOTO

As of November 1,2006 the previous Kipling, Fillmore, Montmartre R.C.M.P unit was realigned, with Kipling falling under Broadview detachment, Montmartre under Indian Head, and Fillmore under Weyburn.

There were a number of reasons for the change, one of them being the overlapping of essential services Kipling and Broadview share, such as the court house, offices, and programs, making it only logical to put the two together.

Geographical locations also played a huge role in the realignment. Kipling is not suitably located to be a host detachment. If the old unit were to have remained the same, ideally Montmartre should have been the host detachment.

Other factors that contributed to the change were distances (from Broadview to Kipling), school regions, as well as health regions.

As far as strength of the detachment is concerned, this change will have no effect on numbers, but will somewhat change the rank within the Kipling office.

In the old unit Kipling was the host detachment, with a sergeant and two constables. Montmartre and Fillmore each had a Corporal and two constables.

Kipling will now be manned by a corporal and two constables, while the Broadview detachment jumps from a sergeant position to a staff sergeant.

Aside from that, in the last few weeks Kipling R.C.M.P members, amongst many other members in Saskat-chewan, have been called upon to man prisons during the civil service strike. Due to the change in units you may have seen some Broadview members patrolling in the area while some of our local members have been away.

-Megan Windjack