Fredericton police are hiring 16 more officers over the coming months as the force continues to cope with the deaths of two colleagues.
Constables Sara Burns and Robb Costello were among four people shot and killed on the north side of the city on August 10.
In a statement on Monday, Chief Leanne Fitch said the tragedy has placed a strain on force members, with some not yet able to return to full duties.
“As you can well imagine, the Fredericton Police Force is feeling this loss acutely, as we continue to move forward to serve and protect the citizens of Fredericton,” Fitch said.
“While our core values have not changed, the way we deliver services have been adjusted to adapt to the realities we have faced post-August 10 and the subsequent impact on our staffing levels.”
Update to the citizens of Frederictonhttps://t.co/AhcKhsjR6G
— Fredericton Police (@CityFredPolice) October 1, 2018
Fitch said several officers have been transferred to the primary response team patrols to bolster their front-line response capabilities.
The move means they will not be able to give police station tours or deploy specialized traffic tools like portable electronic speed signs for now.
“However, we will continue to focus on traffic-related calls and areas that put people at risk such as impaired and aggressive driving,” Fitch said.
She said the pain of the loss is still very fresh for them and will continue to be as they face reminders in the coming weeks and months.
