Police officials from the southern Alberta region will soon get their chance to partake in some Olympic action during the Games in Vancouver. Not as athletes or spectators, but as members of the security staff.
Roughly 30 RCMP officers from the province’s southern region, including six members of the Lethbridge Regional Police Service, will join 15,000 other police officers, soldiers and private security screeners from across Canada to assist in monitoring security at Olympic venues.
At this writing, several local Mounties have already been sent to B.C., to begin their duties, while the rest of the contingents, wait to be deployed in the first week of February.
Security assignments for the officers attending the Games will range in length from 16 to 45 days. But before they can officially begin, they’ll be sworn in as special provincial constables under the B.C. Police Act prior to receiving clearance to safeguard Canadian athletes and the public. Visiting officers attending the games will also be required to wear their respective agency’s uniform.
Lisa Wowchuk, with the Raymond RCMP, is the lucky officer chosen to represent her detachment at the Vancouver Games. Wowchuk says she was selected as the recipient, because she put her name down as an officer who would be willing and interested in going to the Games.
“I am excited. I am really looking forward to having this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” says Wowchuk.
Wowchuk says the RCMP officers attending the Games will be treated as regular workers in and around the Olympic village. They will work regular shifts and will have some days off during their stay in Vancouver. The officers attending the Games will be put up in condos or private residences in the Whistler area or on cruise ships in one of Vancouver’s harbours.
Wowchuk will leave for Vancouver on Thursday and won’t come back until the Games finish on Feb. 26.
The RCMP will cover expenses for the officers in attendance, while the total cost for security at the Games is expected to be in the range of $900 million, according to a Vancouver media release.