Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am alarmed that the level of staffing in the Yellowknife detachment of the R.C.M.P. remains at the same level as it was in the 1970s. Yellowknife is still a very small city by Canadian standards, Mr. Speaker, but it has many big city problems, and I am sure many Members are familiar with what I am talking about.

Twenty four hour a day policing is becoming increasingly difficult. Many citizens, including many of my constituents, question whether it is possible to even do that, with current levels of staff.

I have listened carefully to Members who make similar claims for increasing police services in their own communities. I am familiar with many of these communities, Mr. Speaker, and to their credit, they do not have a big city style of crime to contend with, at least not at the moment.

By contrast, on the growth of industries in the city of Yellowknife over the past dozen years, we have security businesses, and the sale of alarm and safety devices, as well as other areas related to the security business, which I will not go into at the moment.

The concern I have is not just simply the level of staffing, but the fact that they no longer can do the specialized kind of work that they did in the 1970s. I would not want to tip my hand to the criminal element that exists in every community. It is so bad, that if they were aware of it, I am sure it would be taken advantage of.

I would like to believe that governments respond to some objective standard of need, when they allocate resources. Increasing these, Mr. Speaker, I am afraid real measurable needs take a back seat to political whim, and the arbitrary exercise of power. I do not think that the government looks at the instances of crime as the basis for allocating resources.

Thank you.