P.G. to get three more sheriffs, says Attorney General

Prince George will get three new auxiliary sheriffs as part of a province-wide hiring campaign, Attorney General Shirley Bond confirmed Tuesday.

In a statement, she said 36 new recruits will begin training Aug. 31 and they should be available to start work in December.

"Successful recruits will be located around the province including three in Prince George," Bond said.

"Six of the new recruits are filling current vacancies in Prince George, Kelowna, Cranbrook, and Fort St. John. Thirty of these recruits are in addition to our previous commitment to restore more hours for auxiliary sheriffs."

B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) president Darryl Walker applauded the decision.

"This is a welcome step forward, but the government needs to continue to replace the more than 100 sheriffs that have left to higher paying law enforcement jobs," said Walker in a statement.

The number of sheriffs has gone from 525 just a few years ago to about 385 now, the BCGEU said. The new recruits will increase that number to more than 400.

The move comes after the provincial government, on May 27, reduced hours for deputy sheriffs by the full-time equivalent of 34 positions then restored those hours on June 20 after trial adjournments were blamed on the reductions.

A few days later, then-Attorney General Barry Penner announced the appointment of 10 new provincial court judges, including one to Prince George - Roderick Sutton.

Sutton has not yet started hearing cases in Prince George, but once he does, it will raise the number of provincial court judges in Prince George to 5.5, compared to six in 2005.

Penner said at this time the ministry and government are working to locate additional funding for court services throughout the province, while balancing the provincial budget by 2013. The new hires are a result of that review, Bond indicated.

"These new recruits will add to our existing complement of regular and part-time sheriffs and help minimize the risk of court delays resulting from staffing shortages going forward," Bond added.

The average cost for a new judge's salary, support staff and operating costs is between $1.4 million and $1.6 million per year. The cost of training each new recruits is about $21,000 and includes wages, benefits, instruction, materials, uniforms, and travel and accommodation allowances, Bond said.