Kensington reviewing police services

One of P.E.I.'s smaller police forces is being reviewed to ensure the services it offers are sustainable.

Kensington, in East Prince, has a population of about 1,600 and is served by three full-time police officers and some part-time officers at a cost of about $450,000 a year. Council approved a review of police services at a meeting Monday.

Mayor Rowan Caseley said the goal is not to look for alternatives, but to ensure the town has an appropriate level of policing and that the force is sustainable.

"We do have our own municipal force and we like the fact that we do have that," said Caseley.

"We believe that that's a strong selling feature for our town and we want to make sure that we're sustainable and we can maintain it."

The town intends to issue a request for proposals for a consultant to review policing services by the end of the year. Caseley hopes a consultant would be able to start work by February. He expects the study would take some months to complete.

Caseley said he doesn't have any idea what might come out of the review, but he wonders if expanding the area Kensington police serve might be a way of bringing in more revenue to support it.

While there is no current interest in shutting down the force and hiring RCMP to do the work, Caseley said he expects a price comparison will be part of the review.

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