The Somali community is asking the Edmonton Police Commission to hire one of its own to bridge the divide between its community and the police.

“We are calling for institutional change by the commission and if they don’t do that, we petition the province and the federal (government) to come and investigate,” said Mahamad Accord, president of the Alberta Somali Community Centre.

Accord said of the 13 homicides in the past three years, only one involving a Somali was solved and that was directly because of his community’s help, not police work.

“Maybe they should pay us to do the work of the police; we’re already doing it,” Nyambura, executive director of the Edmonton Multicultural Society, told reporters.

Accord said Somali youth have been turned away from police recruitment offices.

“If we don’t see action, that means it’s proof what we say is true,” Accord said.

Accord said out of a local Somali population of 14,000, he can’t believe there is not one qualified member the Edmonton police could hire.

“We are asking them to hire people to know the language and the culture,” he said.

The police commission said it had a copy of the letter addressing Accord’s concerns, which it would review.