Alberta’s public safety and emergency services minister says he needs to take action to address the lack of police coverage in some areas of rural Alberta.

Mike Ellis said Monday that vacancy rates within Alberta’s RCMP detachments are an ongoing concern for the provincial government.

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The Alberta RCMP officer vacancy rate stands at 21.6 per cent, said Ellis. The federal government has authorized 1,911 officers for Alberta, but there are only 1,498 officers in the province, a shortfall of 413.