A new intake unit will act as the RCMP's entry point for all information and requests for information related to federal policing and INTERPOL.
Created in April 2013, the Federal Policing Intake Unit (FPIU) deals with everything from tips about national security to requests to query all 13 main RCMP databases for information on a suspect.
Insp. John Baranyi, the head of the team in charge of FPIU, describes the intake process as a type of triage. His team has to decide if the requests are a police matter and if so, if it's an RCMP matter, and finally if it belongs with federal policing.
At each stage, the unit makes sure that files are created to track what comes in, actioned if applicable and tasked to the right people.
As a member of the new unit, Cpl. Brenda Pruse is responsible for processing all operational information and intelligence received into the Federal Policing Program at National Headquarters.
"It's important work," says Pruse. "You never know if it could be the file that ends all files – the file that shows there's a plotted threat against Canada."
Stationed at her desk, Pruse expertly navigates between requests coming in through e-mail, the police reporting system and the classified police reporting system, and handling regular mail addressed to RCMP headquarters.
"The big thing about our intake unit is to open the letters, the e-mails or tasks in the police reporting system and deal with each request, keep it going, and while we aren't responsible for the investigation, we make sure the investigation moves forward," says Pruse.
Prior to the creation of the unit, there wasn't a centralized intake point for handling requests coming into the RCMP. Now, domestic and foreign partners, like law enforcement agencies and government and non-government agencies, can send their requests directly to the unit as a one-stop shop for operational matters related to federal policing.
"Previously, our partners would often send requests to individual employees because they had a relationship with this person," says Baranyi. "If that person transferred, that connection was lost. But now, with one dedicated intake unit, it doesn't matter who steps in, we're going to be able to deal with the request and ensure that the quality is consistent."