One year later, Winkler Police say hiring an emergency dispatch service in Brandon has been essential.

In the past, officers answered the phone after hours while on-duty which posed a potentially dangerous distraction when in the middle of a serious incident or making an arrest. Now the dispatcher collects the information from the caller, prioritizes the alerts, and forwards the message to officers as soon as they are available.

"All the members have mentioned it's a better system," Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt says.

While it took time for the public to adjust to being unable to speak immediately with an officer on duty, Hunt says they're no longer hearing complaints.

In October 2017, Winkler, Morden and Altona officially started their partnership with the Emergency Communications Centre in Brandon. While all after-hours calls for service are directed to Brandon, calls for service during regular office hours are answered locally by civilian staff.