A town on the Northern Peninsula is protesting the downgrading of RCMP capacity and service in the region.

The mayor of Flower’s Cove, Lynn Way, says it was decided several years ago that police would move to a hub model whereby officers would be shared among other detachments after hours: Flower’s Cove, Roddickton-Bide Arm, St. Anthony and Port Saunders.

The town is staffed in the daytime by a civilian, but Mayor Way says she’s aware that many detachments in the province have similar situations in terms of police coverage.

She notes that it took officers an hour-and-a-half to get to the area recently in response to a violent incident.

“We’ve all seen an increase in the number of calls to the RCMP but with the distance the RCMP have to travel, it’s a big concern,” Way says, “We have a small population with big city problems.”

The protest is scheduled for 1:00 today.