Premier Danielle Smith announced Wednesday the establishment of the Alberta Sheriff’s Police Service, a new provincial law enforcement agency designed to operate alongside existing police forces and address growing public safety concerns across the province.
Smith said the new service will help ensure that Albertans receive consistent, timely police support regardless of where they live.
“We promised to improve policing in the province so that it works better on the streets and behind the scenes,” Smith said. “We did that because Albertans deserve to feel safe no matter where they live.”
Smith emphasized that the Alberta Sheriff’s Police Service is not intended to replace the RCMP or municipal police services. Instead, it will provide additional capacity, filling enforcement gaps and improving response times.
“It will work alongside existing branches of law enforcement to fill gaps and ensure that resources are used efficiently,” she said.
The new agency will be headquartered in Calgary and operate independently from government, under civilian oversight, similar to other police services in the province.
“Just like most other police services in the province, it’ll be run separately from the government with civilian oversight,” Smith said.
The premier noted that approximately 80 per cent of Albertans are already served by local municipal police forces, including those in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Grand Prairie.
She also announced that Sat Parhar, a former deputy chief with the Calgary Police Service, has been appointed as the inaugural chief of the Alberta Sheriff’s Police Service.
“Chief Parhar has the right mix of experience and leadership to steer this new agency,” she said. “His first responsibilities will be recruiting an executive team as well as building connections with the existing network of Alberta law enforcement organizations.”
Smith framed the creation of the new service as part of Alberta’s broader strategy to prepare for potential changes in the RCMP’s role. The federal government has indicated that it may begin transitioning the RCMP away from contract policing when current agreements expire in 2032.
“Ottawa has indicated that it’s rethinking the RCMP’s responsibilities and may change them once the current police services agreements end in 2032,” Smith said. “So Alberta’s government is preparing and acting instead of waiting and reacting.”
She pointed to ongoing challenges such as vacancy rates and delayed response times, particularly in rural and remote communities.
“We’ve got a surveillance team. We’ve got a fugitive apprehension team. We’ve got a border security team,” she said. “Many of those entities work hand in glove with ALERT, with municipal forces, and even with the RCMP.”
Smith said the province has already heard from municipalities interested in exploring the new model and reiterated that the process will be locally driven.
“We’re making it a very municipally led process,” she said. “Any municipality who would like us to set up a sheriff’s detachment… we’re happy to work with you.”
She added that the province is not waiting until 2032 to act and that early implementation efforts are already underway.
“We can start now. We’re not waiting,” Smith said. “We want to make sure that everybody feels that they’ve got the policing that they need close to home.”
Smith also expressed confidence in the ability to attract qualified personnel to the new service, citing interest from retired and experienced officers.
“There are all kinds of reasons that people would rather apply to work for a local force where they know that they’re not going to get redeployed to some other part of the country,” she said.
She concluded by reiterating the province’s commitment to public safety and ensuring a strong policing framework is in place as Alberta moves forward.
“This is part of a broader effort to ensure that Alberta’s police system is strong, it’s responsive, and it’s future-focused,” Smith said. “No matter what comes next, Alberta is ready to lead.”