(Photo Credit: LinkedIn)

By Nathaniel Leigh

Local Police

Grande Prairie Police Service swearing in first chief

Aug 28, 2023 | 11:24 AM

There’s a new top cop in Grande Prairie.

Today, Monday, August 28 marks the first day of work for Dwayne Lakusta, the first Chief of Police for the new Grande Prairie Police Service.

Lakusta has over 28 years of experience in law enforcement and plans to take a collaborative approach to responding to crime in the city by working with various community groups and agencies.

“We can provide that comprehensive approach to address the criminal behavior which might be influenced by addiction issues, mental health,” Lakusta says. “And just work with these agencies to really address the root causes of crime, the criminal’s behavior.”

He says helping GP make the transition from the RCMP to a municipal service was a major factor in taking the job.

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“When I look at the transition and what they’ve built up in a short period of time, it was that opportunity to be a part of that, to have an impact on community and safety wellbeing in the community,” he says. “The community itself is very attractive, lots going on there. A very pro-social community, a lot of recreational facilities. Just to be a part of that, to help transition is what attracted me.”

He says the transition team has already done a great job and we want to help increase their momentum when his work begins.

“What’s going to be important when I arrive is to start to identify and to hire an officer to fall into place so we can start to build up this service,” he says. “Rest assured, once I land I want to make sure that we’re continuing to keep up to the pace of where the transition team is. I want to be able to meet the expectations of the community, I want to prove the model, and I want to meet the expectations of council and the commission.”

Lakusta is being sworn in with a private ceremony, with a public ceremony scheduled to be very soon.