(Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

police respond to say happy birthday

RCMP respond to city’s east side for special occasion

Apr 18, 2020 | 6:11 PM

There was a heavy police presence in Red Deer’s Lancaster neighbourhood at around 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

But on this occasion, members of the RCMP, as well as Community Peace Officers, weren’t responding to any kind of emergency.

Known to police as just Alice, the Red Deerian regularly delivers coffee and treats to the RCMP detachment with the help of her support workers to show appreciation for the work of members.

Alice was featured last February on the City of Red Deer’s ‘We Are Red Deer’ blog. Last fall, Alice was presented with an RCMP challenge coin, a custom-made blanket and a framed photo of a mounted police officer by the RCMP’s Indigenous Policing Service division.

The RCMP’s attendance to her neighbourhood Saturday was their way of saying thank you once again, says Staff Sergeant Rob Marsollier, but this time for another special occasion.

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“We heard it was her 70^th so we wanted to make it a special one,” he shares. “There were about 15 cars today. We did a drive-by of her residence at about 2 p.m. and she was outside with other residents of the home. They were very appreciative and we dropped off a present for her as well.”

Marsollier admits the job of the RCMP has become tougher thanks to COVID-19, but the gesture today helped.

“It’s a big morale boost. Absolutely it’s been difficult, but we’re still receiving support from people like Alice, and everyone appreciates that,” he says.

“We just want to thank the general public for their support throughout this crisis. It’s not just one person, it’s an entire community.”