I really enjoyed reading the well researched and written article regarding the sheep poacher's conviction in the Aug. 12 edition of the Albertan.
We need much more exposure of the steadily increasing ratio of citizens versus wildlife officers in Alberta which, notably, has now surpassed 14,000 to 1.
The acceptable ratio of 'police' officers to citizens in a jurisdiction in Alberta is one per 650.
What really tests the Fish and Wildlife officer's resourcefulness, is the fact that they have to patrol literally all of the province's lakes, rivers and wilderness in addition to being stationed in every sizable city.
When I retired in 2008, there were 137 officers and a million less population. We have a big problem.
Murray Bates,
Mountain View County
