Let the planning begin.

With less than a year to go before Whitehorse hosts the nation's largest sporting event, RCMP throughout the Yukon are getting ready to be part of the 2007 Canada Winter Games as well.

It's estimated that the Feb. 24-March 10 event will attract 3,500 athletes, coaches and officials, with 4,500 volunteers supporting the 22 sporting events.

There are three main components for security at the Games, Whitehorse RCMP Sgt. John Sutherland, who's been tasked with overseeing two of those components, said in an interview Thursday.

For the next year, Sutherland's full-time job will focus on co-ordinating security for the Games and completing security clearance for the many volunteers helping out.

Meanwhile, there's also the aspect of police response, which is being done through the Whitehorse detachment.

'I thought it was going to be a challenge,' Sutherland said of his new role.

He was approached about a month ago to take on the responsibilities.

After taking on a variety of roles at the detachment in everything from operations to administration over the years, Sutherland was ready for the next challenge of working on the Games.

'Without volunteers, we couldn't do this,' he said.

Already, Sutherland has recruited about four retired members to help him out.

As he gets started, each venue site will be identified, with an assessment done on each of the security needs.

While some sites like the Canada Games Centre will need a lot of security, other places like a storage facility for equipment likely won't need anyone standing guard over it. Such an assessment on the storage facility would likely take only a half-hour, he said.

Volunteers and private security firms will be responsible for providing the security for the Games in addition to the numerous police officers who will be brought out for the event.

Currently, both Sutherland and the Whitehorse detachment are working on establishing just how many people will be involved in keeping the Games safe for everyone involved.

Sutherland expects the assessments on what is needed for each site to be done in the late spring.

'Once we've identified our needs, we'll look at the physical (aspects),' he said.

That means getting the barriers that might be needed and other security items.

Training will also be provided to volunteers working on security before the Games and those volunteers will then be given their positions.

For some, their security work could start a week before the Games begin. For others, it could start just a day before the national event gets underway, depending on their role.

Already, there seems to be a lot of interest from people wanting to help out with the security aspects.

Sutherland was recently contacted by someone in Ottawa who is looking at giving a hand. While it wasn't the case for this prospective volunteer, Sutherland suggested that as word gets out about the Games, former Yukoners living Outside may want to be involved and assist with the event.

In those cases, it could be a challenge to find housing for the volunteers, he said.

As volunteers arrive from outside of Whitehorse, RCMP officers from rural communities in the territory are also expected to come to the capital to help out, said Sgt. Guy Rook, who's involved with the Games' police response strategy.

While the number of officers needed for the Games has not been finalized, Rook said Yukoners can expect the same level of service.

A satellite office will be set up to specifically focus on the police response for the Games, but no final numbers have been set on how many officers will work from that office.

Many members working on the Games will be doing so on their time off. If needed, it's also possible to draw from the RCMP's national resources, Rook said.

Yukon RCMP are anxious to be part of the event, he said.

'Good planning continues right up to the Games,' he said.

Along with establishing and staffing a satellite office, planning is being done for 'all types of different scenarios,' said Rook, confirming that includes bomb threats among other numerous what-ifs.

As planning continues, the Whitehorse detachment and M division are also learning about other police experiences in communities which have hosted previous Canada Games, like Regina.