Wakopa

Police Services
A report from "Reflections - Turtle Mountain Municipality and Killarney, 1882- 1982."

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Police services began in this area in 1885 when Inspector Sanders of the North West Mounted Police came with a patrol of one officer, one NCO and 24 constables to prevent horse stealing along the frontier. A request for this protection had been made on behalf of the settlers by the Attorney General at Winnipeg and the Minister in control of the Force sanctioned it only "for the present and until a local force is formed", reminding the Attorney General "that it is not the duty of the Mounted Police to enforce the laws in Manitoba".

Inspector Sanders distributed his men at Manitou, Wakopa, Deloraine and Sourisford and later reported not one case of horse stealing in his district during the summer. This patrol did not return the following year; it is assumed that the provincial government made other arrangements.

In 1888 Inspector J.A. McGibbon was sent to Manitoba to set up headquarters at Morden. His party of himself, 1 sergeant, 2 corporals and 11 constables were to issue "Let Passes" to people going to the USA, collect customs duties and issue wood permits. A large part of their work was preventing Dakota settlers from stealing wood from the Canadian side and to see that American settlers who brought wheat over to be ground took back the correct quantity of flour. The detachments were stationed on trails leading from N. Dakota to Crystal City, Cartwright, Wakopa, Killarney, Holmfield, Boissevain and Deloraine. One man remained at the detachment while another was on patrol. These detachments were withdrawn in 1894 and not re-established until 1916.

In 1904 the name of the Force had been changed to the "Royal" NWMP . One of the two McLaughlin-Buicks purchased for border patrol was stationed in Boissevain, now a sub-district headquarters. Other detachments were at Bannerman and Cartwright. In 1918 all ranks of the RNWMP were allowed to volunteer for overseas service and 87 detachments in the west, including all of those in southern Manitoba, were closed.

After the war the RNWMP was made the sole Federal Force in Western Canada and the Boissevain division reopened. In 1920 the name was changed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In 1932 the RCMP took over the Manitoba Provincial Police and a detachment was opened in Killarney under Constable S.H. Lett. After several moves it was located in its own building on Park St. E.