A Manitoba MP is confident RCMP will provide the security Emerson residents need in light of the increasing number of illegal migrants crossing the border near the community.

Dozens of people were again intercepted by police last weekend after crossing into Canada from the U.S. on the weekend. The situation has many local residents a little concerned about security. Last week, a homeowner in Emerson walked into her garage and was startled to find several migrants inside where they had sought shelter from the cold.

The issue of police services in the Emerson area is becoming more of a concern for local municipal officials after learning earlier this month that three officers will be leaving the Emerson and Morris detachments for various reasons by the end of the month.

RCMP Spokesperson Tara Seel says THE RCMP is a mobile police force and that officers transfer in and out all the time.

"This is a normal staffing process in our organization. Some officers are transferring out of your area, yes, but others are transferring in. I can assure you that we have appropriate resources in place to continue to provide policing services to the community."

MP Ted Falk says RCMP officials have indicated the migrant situation has consumed a fair amount of their time in terms of monitoring the flow of refugees across the border and picking up these individuals and bringing them to the Emerson port of entry to be processed.

"We hadn't anticipated that we would be losing members in the detachment, but I'm quite certain they (federal government) will be providing additional staff for both Emerson and Morris. In addition to the migrant situation, the RCMP is being paid by the municipality to provide policing services to the municipality and has an obligation to meet those needs."

Scott Kolody, Commanding officer for Manitoba RCMP echoed those thoughts when he addressed the media at Emerson on Friday. Kolody says the detachment provides police services to a large region of communities, and migrants might not always be a top priority in emergency situations.