TPS chief offers recommendations for policing and community services

Posted on January 22, 2026 by Taber Times

Cal Braid
The Taber Times
Local Journalist Initiative Reporter

As we reported last week, the Taber Police Service held focus groups in the final quarter of 2025, with about 35 individuals participating in discussions lasting roughly 90 minutes each.

The focus groups used a framework dubbed SWOT – for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats – to guide the discussions. Afterward, TPS assimilated the input and Chief Graham Abela released a report that identified local needs, priorities, and expectations related to policing.

The report revealed the findings and concluded with the chief’s strategic recommendations. The report said the focus groups “offer a unique advantage in that they create a more conversational, interactive environment through which participants can share experiences, clarify perspectives, and explore ideas collaboratively.”

Abela’s strategic recommendations are well-crafted and insightful – and only the second step in a process that will require multiple stages of follow-up on the municipal and community levels. His recommendations are summarized and slightly simplified as follows.

Abela said TPS should prioritize bolstering the community’s response to mental-health and addiction issues. Expanded local services and partnerships with health providers, shelters, and provincial agencies are key. To achieve this, the community needs co-response models or embedded social-service roles. This approach will reduce strain on officers and improve outcomes for individuals in crisis.

He outlined the benefits of dedicated youth engagement strategies, an expansion of the school resource officer (SRO) program and increased police presence in non-enforcement settings such as playgrounds, schools, community events, and cultural gatherings. On Jan. 16, he expanded upon his ideas for the SRO program.

“From my perspective, the SRO program is our flagship community policing program. All data points indicate that the program is very well supported in the community. The program is funded 50 per cent by the school divisions and 50 per cent by the police service.” He said that since the program’s inception, Taber has added two schools (Mennonite and Christian) to the community, with one resource officer covering all 11 schools.

He suggests investing in the program and adding a second SRO as part of his five-year plan. “The benefits of this program are long lasting, and I believe have contributed to our community’s resiliency and very low youth crime rates,” he said.

Further recommendations include training in trauma-informed practice, cultural competency, and crisis intervention. Expanding outreach capacity is a part of that. TPS would like the Town’s support in the form of translators, multilingual communication tools, cultural liaisons, and civilian roles. These should help the police better connect with emerging communities while reducing the burden on officers.

A public communications strategy will enhance transparency, celebrate successes and combat misinformation, Abela said. Clear explanations of legislative constraints, court outcomes, and policing realities will help shift public perception and rebuild trust.

Abela believes that advocating for bail reform, collaborating with Crown prosecutors, and an emphasis on problem-oriented policing to manage high-risk individuals is necessary.

Next, he said that ongoing investment in technology and specialized training will ensure that officers are equipped to respond effectively to cybercrime, complex investigations, and evolving operational demands. Meanwhile, improvements to local infrastructure, such as lighting, public washrooms, and safe housing, should be supported through municipal planning partnerships, as these elements have a measurable impact on community safety, the report said.

Abela believes that targeted positions can and should be created to strengthen outreach, enhance crisis response, and build organizational resilience. These positions would be a joint initiative of the Town, the community and the police service.

He recommends three specific positions be introduced: a community wellness and crisis response specialist who would support mental health and addiction-related calls; a cultural liaison and community engagement coordinator who would connect with newcomers, youth, and minority groups; and a public communications and education officer would proactively boost transparency, improve social media engagement, and support public education initiatives.

Abela recognized that the police service has limits and he advocates for a community approach to problem-solving. His report states that much of what he considered and offered in the way of recommendations “moves away from the traditional sense of policing services, to a more community wellness driven approach.”

“Policing’s core function is public safety and the prevention of crime,” he said. “For years now I have been reporting to the Commission and community that our hands are tied by the courts and Parliament regarding repeat offenders.”

However, he said that police have no other mechanisms beyond bail and remand pending trial to legally address those that do harm. He recognized the flaws in the justice system, and said, “I continually hear from the public that this is unacceptable, but I have no answer other than to advocate from places where I have some influence, to bring balance back to the system.”

As Taber continues to grow, he said governance must determine what the priorities are and “direct funding or service delivery to meet the outcomes of this research, whether it is led by the police or not.”

“You can see from the SWOT analysis that the community is asking the police to deal with lighting concerns and ensuring we have enough bathrooms amongst other challenges that traditionally the police have zero part in addressing,” he said.

“As the police we cannot be everything to everyone; our community needs to build capacity in ways other than funding direct policing services to address concerns. We can play a part in that, we should partner, we can show leadership, be the agent for change, but not necessarily the responsible agency for the role.”

That doesn’t have to be read as a ‘pass the buck’ mentality, given that TPS relies on only about 18 sworn officers and 10 civilian support staff for round-the-clock coverage. It’s simply the reality of a small police service asking for more community support. Abela thanked the community members that participated in these focus groups and said their input will be “carefully relied upon” as TPS develops its strategic plan moving forward.