More than 150 members of N.S. RCMP redeployed for World Cup

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

Dozens of RCMP members from Nova Scotia will be heading to Vancouver to help with the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

The move comes as the soccer world’s biggest tournament prepares to hold events across North America with a need to step up policing in host cities.

Canada’s national police service says it is sending about 160 officers from Nova Scotia to British Columbia over a three week period to support the event.

According to the RCMP, most of those deployments are expected to last one week.

In an statement to CityNews Halifax, a representative with the Nova Scotia RCMP says all costs associated with the deployment, including salaries, will be covered by the province of British Columbia.

While the RCMP declined an interview, they did state in the email that policing services in the province are not expected to be impacted while officers are out of Nova Scotia.

The first World Cup match set in Vancouver is scheduled for June 13, and the tournament runs until July 19 in several host cities.

There is no information to indicate that Nova Scotia RCMP members will be deployed to other host cities, such as Toronto.