Indigenous policing services

The RCMP provides policing services to most of Alberta’s Indigenous communities. However, 18 Indigenous communities in Alberta have made other policing arrangements through agreements with the Alberta and federal governments. The Police Act allows the Minister to exempt any area from all or any provision of the Act and make other arrangements for policing.

Indigenous policing arrangements are typically made through a Tripartite Agreement or a Community Tripartite Agreement. A Tripartite Agreement permits the creation of an Indigenous police service operating exclusively on reserve. Under this arrangement, the Minister exempts the reserve from the Police Act and enters into an agreement with the First Nation and the federal government to create a police commission and police service. The police officers are appointed by the Minister. The cost of Indigenous policing is shared by the federal (52 per cent) and Alberta (48 per cent) governments, subject to the availability of funding.

The following Indigenous communities have a Tripartite Policing Agreement:

• Blood Tribe Police Service
• Lakeshore Regional Police Service
• Tsuu T’ina Nation Police Service

A Community Tripartite Agreement is an agreement between the federal government, the Alberta government, and the First Nation, which provides for additional RCMP members to supplement the First Nation detachment. It also requires those RCMP members to spend at least 80 per cent of their time on reserve. Costs of policing under these agreements are also shared between the federal (52 per cent) and Alberta (48 per cent) governments, subject to the availability of funding.