Provincial Policing Standards

Police services in Alberta are responsible for:

• Maintaining peace and order
• Protecting lives and property
• Preventing and investigating crime
• Providing policing services that are responsive to community needs

The Alberta Provincial Policing Standards are intended to ensure that police services in the province are delivered effectively, efficiently and impartially to all persons, and conducted in a manner that maintains the trust and respect of the public.

History

The Alberta Police Act mandates the Government of Alberta to ensure adequate and effective policing is maintained throughout the province. It mandates the Alberta Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General to administer the Act and provides that police services and peace officers shall act under the direction of the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General in respect of matters concerning the administration of justice and enforcement of the law.

The Alberta Auditor General recommended that a set of standards be developed for all police services in Alberta as a means to ensure that all persons in the province have access to adequate and effective police service.

Between 1999 and 2004, through extensive consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders (police, oversight bodies, government), the policing standards were developed. They were released to all Alberta Police Agencies including the First Nations Police Services and the RCMP Provincial Police Force in 2004, and the Government of Alberta introduced Alberta Provincial Policing Standards in 2006.

The Standards are one of several layers of legislation and government policy elements that direct and guide policing in Alberta. Generally, the Standards describe a risk and quality management system that assists police in establishing risk controls and implementing planning and management systems that facilitate the delivery of adequate and effective policing.

The Standards address four main components of a police service:

• Organizational Management
• Personnel Administration
• Operations
• Support Services

The Lethbridge Police Service participates in an Alberta Provincial Policing Standards audit every four years. The next audit for LPS will be conducted in 2025.

For more information on the provincial policing standards, go to Alberta Provincial Policing Standards.