RCMP allowed Conservative MP to host news conference 'without proper consideration'

The RCMPwill be reminding staff that the force is supposed to remain politically neutral, after a Conservative MP was allowed to host a news conference on policeproperty Monday.

Foothills MP John Barlow held a press conference on rural crime in Alberta outside the OkotoksRCMPdetachment on Monday, speaking at a podium with a sign reading"Canada's Conservatives are Making a Safer Canada."

"Our farmers, our ranchers, our rural families do not feel safe in their communities. They want the federal government and the Liberals to take definitive action against rural crime. Unbelievably, what we've seen over the last couple of months is that the Trudeau Liberals are going in the exact opposite direction," said Barlow.

"A Conservative government under the leadership of Andrew Scheer will legislate policies to protect our communities our families and our businesses."

As the national police force, the RCMP is expected to remainnon-partisan and avoid any "actual, apparent or potential conflicts of interest," according to the force's Code of Conduct.

RCMP says it's not endorsing MP

In a statement sent to CBC News, the RCMP said Barlow and two local constituents requested and were granted prior permission to use the parking lot for their event.

"This is not normal practice and it occurred without proper consideration. We will be reminding staff of their obligations under the RCMPCode of Conduct when it comes to activities that can be viewed as political," the statement read.

The RCMP said they were not endorsing the MP'splatform, adding that they work with municipalities, counties and citizens to apply crime reduction strategies.

Barlow spoke alongside Eddie Maurice and Eddie's wife, Jessica. Eddie Maurice was accused of shooting a trespasser on his property earlier this year, but the charges were dropped.

The couple said the justice system is flawed and voiced endorsements for Barlow's party.

"It's kind of weird being here outside of the RCMP detachment because my experiences here haven't been that great. That frosted window right over there is the cell I was kept in 36 hours after protecting my family and property from criminals," said Eddie Maurice.

Jessica Maurice said she'sdisappointed with police response times under the Liberal government, and praised the Conservative party for a plan she said would be tougher on crime.

She said her family also experienced a break-in six years ago and the police never came, which is when she first felt she had lost her sense of security and faith in the system. The current federal Liberal government took over from the Conservatives three years ago.

During the conference, Barlow released the findings of the Conservative's Rural Crime Task Force report, which he said determined the issue is at "crisis levels."

RCMP launched a $10-million strategy to reduce rural crime across the province this spring, which the force has said is already paying off.

In the first six months of the year, rural detachments reported an 11-per-cent drop in property crimes from the same period the previous year.

But Barlow said the numbers aren't telling the whole story.

"Those numbers are misleading so many people in rural communities aren't reporting the crimes anymore," he claimed during the conference.

Rural residents in Alberta are more likely to be the victims ofviolent crimethan other provinces. In 2016, there were53 victims of firearm-related violent crime for every 100,000 people living in rural areas, according to Statistics Canada.

The agency also found that the rural crime rate in Alberta last year was 38 per cent higher than the city's crime rate, mostly due to the higher number of property crimes.

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