NOTICE TO RESIDENTS
Who to Contact When You Have a Concern
The Town of Stoughton would like to remind residents of the proper process for reporting concerns involving policing, suspicious activity, criminal activity, disturbances, or other matters that fall under the responsibility of the RCMP.
The Town and Town Council are not a substitute for police services. The Town pays an annual policing fee to the RCMP to provide policing services within our community, and matters that fall under their jurisdiction should be reported directly to the RCMP.
If you witness something that you believe may be illegal, suspicious, or otherwise require police attention, please report it directly to the RCMP rather than contacting the Town Office or a member of Council to report it on your behalf.
Who Should You Contact?
🚨 EMERGENCIES – CALL 911
If there is an immediate threat to a person’s safety, a crime is in progress, or emergency assistance is required, call 911 immediately.
📞 NON-EMERGENCY POLICE MATTERS – CONTACT THE RCMP
For non-emergency matters such as suspicious activity, ongoing disturbances, unwanted behaviour, property-related incidents, or other concerns requiring police involvement, please contact the RCMP directly through their non-emergency services.
🏛️ TOWN OFFICE – MUNICIPAL MATTERS
The Town Office and Town Council are available to assist with matters that fall under the Town’s responsibilities, such as municipal services, roads, water and sewer, garbage and recycling, parks, recreation, bylaws, and other municipal concerns.
Why Does This Matter?
When a resident reports a police matter to the Town, staff or Council ultimately have to contact the RCMP and relay the information. This can create unnecessary delays and puts the Town in the role of a middleman between the person who witnessed the incident and the police service responsible for responding to it.
More importantly, Town staff and Council are not trained or equipped to investigate criminal or potentially dangerous situations. We cannot reasonably place our employees or elected officials in situations where they may be exposed to threats, confrontations, or other safety concerns while attempting to deal with matters that properly belong with police services.
The most effective and appropriate approach is for the person who witnesses or experiences the incident to report it directly to the RCMP. This allows police to obtain information firsthand, ask the appropriate questions, assess the situation, and determine the appropriate response.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation in helping ensure that concerns are directed to the appropriate service. This allows Town staff to focus on municipal responsibilities and the RCMP to focus on policing and public safety.