RCMP apologize for response to shooting that shocked residents of N.B. community
RCMP brass admit response time was too long for call about man who had been shot
Leaders with the RCMP have apologized for the handling of a recent shooting in central New Brunswick, which they now admit took 50 minutes for officers to respond to.
Speaking to a room of at times frustrated-sounding residents on Monday, RCMP officials said it should not have taken officers so long to arrive at the scene of the shooting on Sept. 1 in the Municipality of Grand Lake that left a 75-year-old man seriously injured.
They also said they "dropped the ball" by not providing residents with any communication about the incident for three days while they searched for the suspect.
"We dropped the ball, and I'm not going to hide from that," said West District RCMP Insp. Mike Berry.
"We could have done better. We should have done better … and I want to apologize to the community for the grief and the fear that it probably caused you. We should have had something out and we didn't."
Berry made those comments to a room of about 80 people who gathered at the Chipman Community Heritage Centre to voice concerns about the quality of RCMP services in the area.
About
80 people showed up to a town hall meeting held in Chipman on Monday to
give residents the chance to voice their concerns about the quality of
policing from the RCMP. (Aidan Cox/CBC)
The meeting was spurred by the RCMP's response to a call about the shooting outside a home in Gaspereau Forks, which is part of the amalgamated Municipality of Grand Lake, about 80 kilometres northeast of Fredericton.
The RCMP said they believe two people were burglarizing a home when the owner and a 75-year-old man arrived at the scene. An altercation followed, and the elderly man was shot and taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The RCMP have yet to make any arrests in the case.
Officers shared across region
The RCMP divides its officers among the province's 12 regions, said Supt. Andy LeClair, commander for the RCMP's West District. Regional Service Commission 11, which includes Grand Lake, has a complement of 71 officers, he said.
That region includes detachments in Keswick, Oromocto, Nackawic, New Maryland and Minto, which is part of the Municipality of Grand Lake. However, officers from any one detachment can be tasked with responding to calls in the others.
New
Brunswick RCMP brass attended Monday night's town hall meeting,
including, from left, RCMP Chief Supt. Dan Austin, Staff Sgt. Geoff
Peters, Cpl. Matt Traer, acting sergeant for the Minto detachment, and
Insp. Mike Berry. (Aidan Cox/CBC)
Speaking to residents Monday night, LeClair said that operating model resulted in the lengthy wait time for the call in Gaspereau Forks.
"There was a lot going on that evening, but we should have done better in ensuring this side of the community was covered off, because when we did a scrub-down, we realized that people were working out of different detachments, and we didn't have someone working at the Minto detachment," LeClair said.
"There's obviously a huge geography when you're looking at Regional Service Commission 11, but we simply need to do better in reducing those [response] times," he said, while confirming there's no provincial standard for how quickly RCMP officers have to respond to calls.
"But we, in this situation, we could have done better."
More officers incoming
LeClair said the RCMP was already working on at least one change that he thinks will improve response times in the Municipality of Grand Lake.
Thanks to added provincial spending starting last year, the RCMP's total complement of officers went up from 56 to 71, but efforts are still underway to fill all of those positions, LeClair said.
Once that happens, the number of officers assigned to the Minto detachment will go up from eight to 10, he said, "ensuring that we have the structure in place that they can work specifically in the community of ... Grand Lake."
Residents cautiously optimistic
Faith Kennedy attended Monday's town hall meeting over concerns about how long it takes RCMP officers to respond to calls.
She said the 50-minute response time to the shooting doesn't surprise her, and she fears would-be criminals have also caught on to how long it could take officers to respond.
Faith
Kennedy says she's concerned about the lengthy response times by RCMP,
but is hopeful that more officers will make a difference. (Aidan Cox/CBC)
"If anything bad happens, it's very scary," said the Chipman resident.
The RCMP have promised better service in the past, she said, leaving her cautiously optimistic things will change this time.
"It seems to be promising and I hope that they can carry it through and I hope that [an improvement of service] really does happen," she said.
Mayor Kevin Nicklin said he didn't get the answers he was hoping for to his questions on Monday.
He asked the RCMP about their decision not to issue an Alert Ready notification about the shooting, which officials on Monday night defended, saying it didn't meet the threshold.
Nicklin said he was also hoping to hear plans to stop sending officers from the Minto detachment to attend to calls from neighbouring communities.
Still, he said he came away from the meeting feeling somewhat optimistic.
"I'm just hoping they do better in our area, or can improve in our area. That would be the biggest thing for us," he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RCMP service is 'broke,' says mayor of N.B. town, as dissatisfaction hits boiling point
Residents show up at Grand Lake council meeting to air concerns over quality of policing service
Dissatisfaction with the quality of service from the RCMP has seemingly reached a boiling point in a central New Brunswick town, in the wake of a recent home invasion that ended with a 75-year-old man being shot.
"I think their system's broke," Grand Lake Mayor Kevin Nicklin said to residents at a council meeting Monday night.
"To me, they're not doing policing anymore. They're doing investigation work."
He added that the few police officers in the community of about 5,80 appear to be too overworked to properly respond to crimes as they're happening.
Residents frustrated
Nicklin's comments reflected frustration shared by the residents who showed up at the meeting.
They voiced concerns about how the RCMP responded to a recent shooting and about a general sense the force is inadequately serving the southern New Brunswick community, which includes the villages of Chipman and Minto.
"We've got people breaking into houses, shooting people, we've got stuff being stolen constantly," said one resident, who didn't introduce herself before addressing council.
"So I'm just kind of getting a little frustrated [because] we have no support from anyone."
Residents
showed up at a Grand Lake council meeting Monday to voice concerns
about what the quality of RCMP service in the southern New Brunswick
community. (Municipality of Grand Lake/Zoom)
The RCMP said officers responded on Sept. 1 to a report of a shooting outside a home in Gaspereau Forks, which is part of the amalgamated Municipality of Grand Lake, about 80 kilometres northeast of Fredericton.
The RCMP said they believe two people were burglarizing a home, when the owner and a 75-year-old man arrived at the scene. An altercation followed, and the elderly man was shot. He was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
As details of the shooting — and the fact no arrests had been made — spread by word of mouth, residents became concerned about a lack of communication from the RCMP about what had happened and whether the public was in danger.
RCMP finally issued a news release online, three days after the incident took place.
No updates, including news of any arrests, have been provided.
News asked the RCMP for an interview about the concerns residents raised on Monday and whether the RCMP are bound by a standard response time for calls.
Instead, Cpl. Hans Ouellette provided a statement, which did not say whether RCMP are required to respond to calls within a certain timeframe.
As for staffing, Ouellette said, the force has filled 43 of 51 new front-line officer positions for New Brunswick, for which the provincial government provided funding for over two years starting in 2023.
RCMP
Cpl. Hans Ouellette says the force is working to fill all the new
positions for front-line officers, adding there are always enough
officers to respond to urgent priority calls. (Pat Richard/CBC)
Ouellette said the RCMP expects to hire the other eight front-line officers by the end of next year.
Once that is done, Regional Service Commission 11, which includes Grand Lake, will have 15 new officers, bringing the total complement up to 58.
Ouellette said those 58 officers would be split between detachments in Minto, Keswick, Nackawic, New Maryland and Oromocto, but he didn't say exactly how many would be stationed at each.
"Citizens can rest assured that there are always enough RCMP police officers and operators to respond to urgent priority calls, and to ensure officer and public safety, as RCMP resources can be shared throughout the [regional service commission] and provincially if necessary," Ouellette said.
Response time questioned
Residents on Monday peppered Nicklin with questions about what he knew about the RCMP's response on Sep. 1, and whether anything would be done in response to it.
Some attendees alleged the police took an hour to respond to the call about the shooting.
Nicklin said he asked the RCMP for that information, but they declined to share it with him.
"I would prefer that they [RCMP] were here to answer these questions themselves, obviously," Nicklin said.
"I have fought with them tooth and nail over it. I went so far as to suggest to them that we side with the Fredericton police and pay them the fees because they would be easier to deal with."
Concerns brought to minister
Nicklin said he's already raised concerns with Public Safety Minister Kris Austin, who is also the MLA for the area.
Nicklin said Austin told him his government would work to have 11 RCMP officers stationed specifically at the Minto detachment, which Nicklin said currently has two officers attached to it.
However, the timeline for getting those officers in Minto was unknown because of hiring challenges, Nicklin said.
CBC News asked for an interview with Austin about what standard RCMP officers are held to when it comes to response times in rural communities, and what he planned to do to address residents' dissatisfaction with their service.
In a statement to CBC News, Austin did not say whether RCMP are required to respond to calls within a certain timeframe.
But he said he's concerned about crime in the community, which he said is the reason his government spent more money for new officers.
"I believe rural regions will see a noticeable change in police presence with this injection of these additional RCMP officers," he said.
Under a 20-year contract, RCMP provide policing in areas of the province where there is no municipal police force.
Municipalities pay part of the cost, which for Grand Lake is about $1 million a year, Nicklin said.
However, he's just the latest mayor to complain in recent years about not getting the desired level of service from the RCMP.
Nicklin said he invited members of the RCMP to Monday's council meeting, but they declined.
In response to comments by residents, he said he would go back to the RCMP, as well as to Austin, to ask them to attend a town hall meeting to discuss residents' concerns.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
104 Comments
“September 11th, 2004
Dear Mr. Amos,
On behalf of Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,
I acknowledge receipt of two sets of documents and CD regarding corruption,
one received from you directly, and the other forwarded to us by the Office of
the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick.
I regret to inform you that the Governor General cannot intervene in
matters that are the responsibility of elected officials and courts of Justice of
Canada. You already contacted the various provincial authorities regarding
your concerns, and these were the appropriate steps to take.
Yours sincerely.
Renee Blanchet
Office of the Secretary
to the Governor General”
"Nicklin said he invited members of the RCMP to Monday's council meeting, but they declined.
In response to comments by residents, he said he would go back to the RCMP, as well as to Austin, to ask them to attend a town hall meeting to discuss residents' concerns."
David Amos
Reply to David Amos
Perhaps we should begin with this dude
September 4, 2024
Gaspereau Forks, New Brunswick
UPDATE: The file regarding the firearm incident that occurred in Gaspereau Forks, near Chipman, N.B. on September 1, 2024, has been transferred to the West District RCMP's Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) and remains under active investigation. #RCMPNB is urging the public remain vigilant and to keep forwarding tips that could help identify the two suspects involved in this incident. The RCMP believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to the public.
Anyone who has information about the suspects or the incident is asked to contact the New Brunswick RCMP at 888-506-RCMP (7267).
Contact information
Sgt. Mark Blakely
Crime Reduction Unit
West District RCMP
888-506-7267
David Amos
"Nicklin said he asked the RCMP for that information, but they declined to share it with him.
"I would prefer that they [RCMP] were here to answer these questions themselves, obviously," Nicklin said.
"I have fought with them tooth and nail over it. I went so far as to suggest to them that we side with the Fredericton police and pay them the fees because they would be easier to deal with."
Too Too Funny
Higgs government rules out provincial police force to replace RCMP
Minister says transition would take a decade and cost would be ‘extremely high’
Jacques Poitras · CBC News · Posted: Apr 13, 2023 3:53 PM ADT
Daniel Franklin
Higgs too busy helping corporate citizens to help the rest of us.
David Amos
Reply to Daniel Franklin
Oh So True
James Risdon
The men and women of our police forces do a thankless and dangerous job and deserve our respect and support.
If they are understaffed, it is incumbent on us to get them more officers and administrative staff so they can do what needs to be done.
But, let's be clear: no police officer, no matter how good, is a psychic who can prevent all crimes from happening beforehand. Police can only respond to crimes and do their jobs when they have the support of the community.
David Amos
Reply to James Risdon
Say Hey to the cops for me will ya?
Tim Trites
Reply to James Risdon
don't know what "thankless" means, but if they are overstaffed and just not doing their job???...then what
Tim Trites
Reply to James Risdon
don't know what "thankless" means, but if they are adequately staffed or over staffed...then what?
Tim Trites
Reply to Tim Trites
first one dint show up
Gary Webber
We had 7 RCMP officers living and working in chipman in the seventies now we have none, minto has 2, 30 minutes away, free picking for criminals.
MR Cain
Reply to Gary Webber
Amalgamation means Minto and Chipman now have 2 RCMP officers.
David Amos
Reply to Gary Webber
I remember those days
Gary Webber
Reply to David Amos
It was hard to drive through Chipman as a teenager because the mounties didn't have anything to do, now if you call no one shows
Gary Webber
Reply to MR Cain
No minto has 2 Chipman has none.
Forced amalgamation thanks to Austin and Higgs
James Risdon
Reply to Gary Webber
Communications and surveillance equipment in the 1970s was primitive compared to what exists now. You can't make a direct comparison like that. The tools to do the job have changed and so has the population.
Gary Webber
Reply to James Risdon
This is true about technology but a mounty in a cruiser trumps technology every day.
Trevor Schulz
Reply to James Risdon
A man was shot during a B&E. No arrests, no suspects. Communications and surveillance equipment was no help there.
MR Cain
Reply to Gary Webber
No, amalgamation means there are 2.
MR Cain
You can have all the cops you want, but they can only respond if a crime is being or has been committed. Maybe a little attention to improving the social issues and rehab. Research shows that going to jail can elevate your risk of criminal activity once you're released, relative to diverting you into community-based sentences that include access to intervention.
David Amos
Reply to MR Cain
Yea Right
Rob En
If the feds come to you and tell you about some service there going to provide its going to be a disaster.. if they want a help send a chq and stay in Ottawa.
David Amos
Reply to Rob En
The Feds asked me for my help long before the Charter existed
Gerrit Lafleur
He's not wrong .
Since 2015 .
David Amos
Reply to Gerrit Lafleur
Talk to Louis Riel's ghost
William Peters
Everyone is presumed innocent before a crime takes place, unfortunately. The RCMP are responders. You call them after someone get shot. About the only time they get involved preemptively is by ticketing individuals when they even bother doing that. A large part of the job is collective facts for insurers. In that role they serve a business rationale.
Sandra Boudreau
Reply to William Peters
If more people would pass on the info they have to the hotline, instead of gossiping amongst themselves, the police might have a better idea of who to watch and who they are looking for.
David Amos
Reply to William Peters
True
Bob Louie
You get what you pay for. If you insist on trying to cheap out on policing, this is what happens. If you live in a rural area, you can't expect big city call response standards. (usually under 10 minutes for a priorty 1 call)
David Amos
Reply to Bob Louie
Are you a cop?
Steph Roche
Grand Lake sounds like a place that nobody would want to live.
5,800 people with a serious crime problem!
they must know most of the criminals
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to Steph Roche
I dare you to come here and say such things
June Arnott
We are paying for a service that doesn’t deliver all over NB and no one cares to fix it. All words and no action. RCMP are not community oriented unfortunately. Shows with the response in how the do t have to respond within a timeframe…what?! Sickening
Bob Louie
Reply to June Arnott
Are you prepared to pay for at least 2 cops to be in each village 24/7? If not they get there when they can. In a city, the standard for a priority one call is usally under 10 minutes. Standards for rural areas are not common as there are too many variables.
David Amos
Reply to June Arnott
I agree
Dan Lee
Reply to Bob Louie
are my taxes not same as yours......is differant in a city auto theft............do you speed over 30 in a city ........so drug pushers are more important in a city.........i seeee
Matt Steele
The RCMP in rural areas can't really be blamed as they can't be everywhere at once as the rural patrol areas are quite large , and most criminal acts are finished within 10 minutes or less . The blame really falls at the feet of the Federal government , and the Court system , and their soft on crime approach . The Federal government has been actively disarming the Canadian population with endless gun control and firearm prohibitions , so many rural folks are no longer able to defend themselves with the Federal government claiming that the police will handle everything . As the old saying goes , " seconds count when the police are minutes away " . Add in the very light sentences given for property crime , and the deterrence factor for theft is gone .
June Arnott
Reply to Matt Steele
Lets use Riverview NB. Not rural and no service
Ralph Linwood
Reply to Matt Steele
Our gun laws are fine. No rural folks need to "defend" themselves with firearms.
Matt Steele
Reply to Ralph Linwood
Tell that to the 75 year old Senior mentioned in the story who was seriously injured during a violent home invasion ; he may think differently .
Ralph Linwood
Reply to Matt Steele
Regardless, you only have to look south to see how more guns DO NOT make a society safer.
David Amos
Reply to Ralph Linwood
So you say Deja Vu Anyone???
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/retired-n-b-man-acquitted-after-killing-would-be-burglar-1.666778
David Amos
Reply to June Arnott
Amen
Trevor Schulz
Reply to David Amos
Class hero.
David Amos
Reply to Trevor Schulz
What are you?
Trevor Schulz
Reply to David Amos
Not sure I understand the question.
David Amos
Reply to Trevor Schulz
Yea Right
Ralph Linwood
Reply to David Amos
Nothing you own is worth a person's life.
David Amos
Reply to Ralph Linwood
What if my children were threatened and the cops were laughing at me?
Reply to Ralph Linwood
Reply to Ralph Linwood
Her Majesty the Queen’s servants the RCMP whose mandate is to serve and protect Canadian citizens and assist in the security of parliamentary properties and the protection of public officials should not deny a correspondence from a former Deputy Prime Minister who was appointed to be Canada’s first Minister of Public Safety in order to oversee the RCMP and their cohorts. The letter that helped to raise the ire of a fellow Canadian citizen who had never voted in his life to run for public office seven times thus far is quoted as follows:
“Mr. David R. Amos Jan 3rd, 2004
153Alvin Avenue
Milton, MA U.S.A. 02186
Dear Mr. Amos
Thank you for your letter of November 19th, 2003, addressed to
my predecessor, the Honourble Wayne Easter, regarding your safety.
I apologize for the delay in responding.
If you have any concerns about your personal safety, I can only
suggest that you contact the police of local jurisdiction. In addition, any
evidence of criminal activity should be brought to their attention since the
police are in the best position to evaluate the information and take action
as deemed appropriate.
I trust that this information is satisfactory.
Yours sincerely
A. Anne McLellan”
Lee Bronson
At this point, we all recognize that anything touched by the Feds has turned to nada.
Steph Roche
Reply to Lee Bronson
at this point, most people, are aware that the RCMP in a municipality or province are contracted and are not fed governed.
Matt Steele
Reply to Steph Roche
The Federal government controls changes to the Criminal Code of Canada , and the CCC , sentencing , and drug laws have been weakened numerous times over the past 9 years by the current Federal government .
David Amos
Reply to Steph Roche
Dream on
Tom Campbell
Reply to Lee Bronson
provincial and municipal contracts are with the provinces and the municipalities.
David Webb
Reply to Steph Roche
The RCMP Commissioner would likely disagree with you they are not federal governed. Yes the various locations are contracted to provide policing, however like everything else they don't have the staff to provide service even when the funds have been allocated. It's in the story.
David Webb
Reply to Tom Campbell
Yes the various locations are contracted to provide policing, however like everything else they don't have the staff to provide service even when the funds have been allocated. It's in the story.
Steph Roche
Reply to Matt Steele
rcmp contracted to a municipality or province serve the laws of that jurisdiction.
this has been in the news many times
Steph Roche
Reply to David Webb
numbers of officers are part of the contract
David Webb
Reply to Steph Roche
Your point?
Steph Roche
Reply to David Webb
you cannot say this is a fed issue if the municipality contracts for too few cops
James Johnstone
The same problem is happening in Moncton. The RCMP may or may not show up after a crime is committed. Lately they seem to pass the buck to By-law Control Officers. Traffic law enforcement is non-existent, theft is rampant and the amount of serious crime is increasing daily.
Bob Louie
Reply to James Johnstone
Why do police need to make a house call for every reported crime? It's a waste of time to show up and confirm that your bike is gone. You can and should talk to your neighbours and see if they saw anything.
As for traffic enforcement, it's usually the first thing to go when there are not enough police in the contract.
In fact, both the crime rate and the crime severity in Moncton went down between 2022 and 2023. See Stats Canada -Police-reported Crime Severity Index and crime rate, by census metropolitan area, 2023
Steph Roche
Content Deactivated
Reply to Bob Louie
Bob.
why are you doing this. [are we supposed to put a question mark at the end of a rhetorical question?]
the inclusion of facts is not consistent with the intent of the author of this article.
Bob Louie
Reply to James Johnstone
:)
David Amos
Reply to Bob Louie
Methinks everybody knows that I enjoy reading rhetorical questions N'esy Pas?
Robert Brannen
Reply to James Johnstone
What is one to expect, other than that, in a province in which the provincial government has been running a Facebook video counseling motorists to defy clause 156.1 of the Motor Vehicle Act since early in 2022.
MR Cain
Reply to Robert Brannen
Yield the right of way does not mean stop; zipper well ahead of the lane ending. Not an issue.
Robert Brannen
Reply to MR Cain
The zipper merge is a move recommended for sites where a lane is obstructed, thus the cones in the video. A lane is not obstructed in the case of one lane ending, and the other lane being designated as the continuous lane.
The lane ends sign has replaced the former yield sign.
MR Cain
Reply to Robert Brannen
The zipper merge can occur on highways at high
speed, from a passing lane to a chicane, or on an urban road at slower
speed, wherein drivers are courteous. A rule of thumb is to never assume
the other drivers know how to drive. Always signal your intention. The
video can be criticized for not showing vehicles spaced well apart, and
nor does it show the speed nor all the possible scenarios.
If the term "zipper merge" is not within the Act it is not allowed, and especially so in the case of a lane ending.
MR Cain
Reply to Robert Brannen
So when you see a merger sign, what are you
supposed to do? Maybe go out and remove them all? It is a simple method
to keep the traffic moving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s013uoRgpxE
Reply to MR Cain
Daniel Henwell
The problem with them (RCMP) is they aren't accountable to anybody. Mayors and local government officials should be able to get an answer from them but they turn a deaf ear and say "we can't disclose this information".
Bob Louie
Reply to Daniel Henwell
Mayors get briefed all the time but like everyone else Privacy laws and the need to protect the integrity of the investigation prevent any elected official or the media from being told everything. This is not the US.
David Amos
Reply to Bob Louie
Yea Right
Jon Lewis
Grand Lake Policing Costs: $1,000,000 per 5800 people = $170 per person
Fredericton Policing Cost: $29,900,000 per 65,000 people = $460 per person
You get what you pay for I guess?
Bob Louie
Reply to Jon Lewis
And Grand Lake folks are only paying for 70% of the costs. The Feds pay for the other 30%.
David Amos
Reply to Jon Lewis
Think again
Dan Lee
Reply to Bob Louie
and how many subsidies does the cities receive
John Clarke
The Mayor of Grand Lake is bang on "the system is broken" I had a 25 year career in
law enforcement and was Chief of Police in Nackawic, Sussex and Sackville. All covered in the day by local Town/Municipal police personnel and all served 100 per cent effectively. 24/7 Not so now. No coverage after 2AM and token service by the RCMP. They openly have claimed they do not have the people to fill positions in detachments and have also said they do not have people to enforce traffic laws on the highways. Shane on the provincial government for letting this happen. When Jane Barry and her gang forced the local towns and villages to forgo the local police forces for the RCMP the downward spiral started. Woodstock Town Council stood firm and kept the local force and the rest of the province can look at this Town with awe and envy. I bet the people and politicians wish they could rewind the video and stand up to this travesty. The City of Moncton recently looked into replacing the RCMP with a City Force but too much money to do this now or so we hear. The Province can change this but it will taken intestinal fortitude and I don't know if that term is used in the halls of the legislature today. Put the RCMP back in detachments in Chipman, Gagetown, Blacks Harbour, St George etc. Centralization of police services is a bust and failure. The new CO of the RCMP probably is aware of this and I bet if she had the money and the political wherewithal would change things.
Bob Louie
Reply to John Clarke
It's all about the budget that the province gives the RCMP. If you are willing to pay more in taxes, you will get better coverage. The regionalization was meant to save money as the province was not willing to pay for 24/7 coverage via separate detachments in each village.
David Amos
Reply to John Clarke
I bet you remember me
David Amos
Reply to John Clarke
Do you know this dude?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rnc-losing-members-to-rcmp-1.243316
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to David Amos
How about this guy?
https://www.thecanadafiles.com/articles/jcra
Kat Jo
Reply to John Clarke
There is no law on the highways! Out of
province vehicles driving at 140 km/hr or higher, truckers on their cell
phones and drivers passing on the right... I'm taking the back roads
away from the people who drive through our province as quickly as they
can.
https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2024/rcmp-seeking-publics-help-a-firearm-incident
RCMP seeking public’s help following a firearm incident
September 4, 2024
Gaspereau Forks, New Brunswick
News release
UPDATE: The file regarding the firearm incident that occurred in Gaspereau Forks, near Chipman, N.B. on September 1, 2024, has been transferred to the West District RCMP's Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) and remains under active investigation. #RCMPNB is urging the public remain vigilant and to keep forwarding tips that could help identify the two suspects involved in this incident. The RCMP believe this to be an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to the public.
Anyone who has information about the suspects or the incident is asked to contact the New Brunswick RCMP at 888-506-RCMP (7267). Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.
The Minto RCMP is asking for the public's help as part of its investigation into a firearm incident in Gaspereau Forks, near Chipman, N.B.
On September 1, 2024, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the Minto RCMP responded to a report of an individual that had been shot outside of a residence on Route 123, in Gaspereau Forks.
When police arrived at the scene, they located a 75-year-old man who was suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported to hospital with what are believed to be serious, non-life-threatening injuries. Two suspects had since fled the scene.
"We believe that the two suspects were committing a break, enter and theft when the homeowner and the 75-year-old man arrived at the scene," says Sgt. Mark Blakely with the New Brunswick RCMP's West District Crime Reduction Unit. "An altercation ensued and a firearm was discharged at the 75-year-old."
At the time of the incident, the first suspect was wearing a mask and described as a man with a medium build. A description of the second suspect is not available at this time.
Police believe this was an isolated incident, therefore it did not meet the criteria for an Alert Ready message.
Anyone who has information about the suspects or the incident is asked to contact the New Brunswick RCMP at 888-506-RCMP (7267). Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at www.crimenb.ca.
–30–
Contact information
Sgt. Mark Blakely
Crime Reduction Unit
West District RCMP
888-506-7267
Retired N.B. man acquitted after killing would-be burglar
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|
Accused takes the stand in Sussex manslaughter trial
Inhis first chance to speak at his manslaughter trial, George David Mason said he nevermeant to hurt anyone when he grabbed his unloaded gun and some bullets, and told his wife to call 911.
John Ivan Smith, 21, died of a bullet wound the night of March 22, 2006, whenhe and a friend attempted to steal an all-terrain vehicle from Mason's property near Sussex, N.B.
"Did you have any intention of shooting anybody?" defence lawyer Rodney MacDonald asked Thursday.
"No, absolutely not," Mason said.
Mason, 67, told the court he's lived on Whites Mountain Road outside Sussex all his life, and that he'd been a victim of theft twice before that night. On one occasion, thieves stole a $7,000 ATV, and on another they took chain saws and gasoline, worth around $800.
He said he was sleeping when Smith and a friend broke into his shed, and an alarm, installed after the two previous thefts, went off.He said he kepta .308 rifle in his bedroom in order to defend himself and his visually impaired wife, in light of recent burglaries in the area.
Mason told the jury he shot at a truck he found near his property, which appeared to have something to do with the situation, in order to help police identify it later. He said it would be a bonus if he hit the gas tank, emptying it. Mason said it was dark, and he didn't believe anyone was in the vehicle.
According to forensics expert Darryl Barr, Smith, the man behind the wheel, was hit by one of Mason's bullets when it travelled over the tailgate of the stolen vehicle, and into the front part of the truck bed, through the metal cab, and through the driver's seat. Three bullet fragments were found in Smith's body,Barr testified Wednesday.
Mason said when he heard someone yell, "Dave, you got me, I'm dead," he ran to the side of the truck and looked in the driver's window. He told the man, who he couldn't identify, that he was fine, and to "get out of there."
He said he heard keys rattle, and he told the driver not to leave. "I want to know who you are," he said.
Mason said he had to jump back to avoid being hit by the truck asit sped away. He said he aimed downwards, at the truck's tires, to slow it down as the two men inside tried to get away.
"Without a scope, I couldn't shoot anything," said Mason, an experienced hunter. He later told the court he didn't use a scope when aiming at the truck.
Accused's wife testifies
Lynn Mason,wife of the accused,was the one who called 911 while Mason went outside.
When shetook the stand, she spoke of hervision disability, and howher husband helps her with everything around the house.She saidshe couldn't live alone without his help.
"It would be hard for me to live alone, if David had to go away forfour orfive years," she said, when asked if she had anything else to say before closing.
MacDonald said in his closing arguments his client didn't mean to kill anyone; that people who live in the country can't count on police to show up quickly, and often keep guns to protect themselves.
"I honestly believe that grabbing a rifle and heading down in the dark night when you have a wife at home that's older and disabled, being visually impaired, then certainly he was the last line of defence between her and the bad guys," MacDonald said.
But the Crown argued Mason was being reckless, and he had options that night, including firing a warning shot, or waiting for police. Instead, the Crown said, he shot his gun at least four times, resulting in a man's death.
The jury brought their overnight bags. The judge will charge them Friday morning, and then they will make their decision.
Tried to shoot gas tank, not driver, Mason told police
A man from Sussex, N.B., told police he was trying to stop would-be burglars by firing at their truck's gas tank and tires when he hit and killed the driver in 2006, a court in Saint John heard Wednesday.
(George) David Mason, a 67-year-old being tried on charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence, made the comment in a videotaped statement that was given to police on March 23, 2006, and shown in court on Wednesday.
In the statement, which was taken the day after the shooting, Mason said he and his wife had been in bed on the previous night when an alarm woke them up. They knew someone was breaking into the shed in their yard because they had installed the alarm a few months earlier after two other break-ins.
From his window, he could see a flashlight moving in the shed. He grabbed his semi-automatic rifle, loaded it with four bullets and headed outside.
Mason told police he saw a truck in another yard near his shed and, thinking it was empty, fired two shots at the vehicle,aiming for the vehicle's gas tank.
Instead, his bullet hit John Ivan Smith, 21, who was in the driver's seat. Smith andanother young man, Brian Wheaton, were in a stolen vehicle and had been trying tosteal an all-terrain vehicle from Mason's property.
Mason, who goes by his middle name, said he then heard someone yell: "You got me, Dave. I'm dead."
'There's nothing wrong with you'
He said he went to the driver's side of the vehicle and said: "There's nothing wrong with you. Get out."
That's when Smith floored it, Mason said. Hetold police he fired two more shots, aiming at the truck's tires, as the men tried to speed away. The truck crashed into a greenhouse on Mason's property.
An RCMP firearms expert hadtestified he found three separate shots fired at the vehicle.
One hit the tailgate and ricocheted into the bed of the truck, one put a hole in a rear tire, and one entered the bed of the truck, higher than the tailgate and then through the back of the cab and through theback of the driver's seat.
Don't want to make statement, Mason told police
At least 12 times throughout the taped interview, Mason said he did not want to make a statement and that his lawyer had advised him not to. However, police pushed on.
"When a subject tells us he can't give a statement because his lawyer tells him not to, there's no obligation for us to stop the interview," Sgt. Paul Ouellette told court on Wednesday.
"If we were to do that, we wouldn't obtain information from anyone."
The court has set aside five days for the trial, which continues Thursday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/1st-witness-called-in-mason-manslaughter-trial-1.649216
1st witness called in Mason manslaughter trial
The trial of a Sussex man, charged with shooting a young man attempting to rob him, got underway in Saint John Tuesday. The jury heard from the man who was with John Ivan Smith when he died.
George David Mason, 67,is charged with manslaughter and criminal negligence.
Just before midnight on March 22, 2006, two men, Smith and Brian Wheaton, attempted to steal an all-terrain vehicle from Mason's property. When they tried to make a getaway in a stolen vehicle, shots rang out.
One shot hit 21-year-old Smith, who was behind the wheel of the truck. The vehicle crashed into a greenhouse on Mason's property.
Wheaton told the court that he and Smith had been friends forsix orseven years. He said he was with Smith when they picked up a blue truck from MacDonald's Auto in Sussex the night he died. He said later in the evening they went to Tim Hortons for coffee, and then smoked some marijuana in the truck.
Wheaton said they drove down Whites Mountain Road, an area he was not familiar with.
During cross-examination later, Wheaton admitted their intention was to steal an ATV from a shed. They parked the truck in a nearby yard, Wheaton said, and he kept watch from the truck while Smith went to steal the ATV.
Wheaton said he ran to get Smith out of the shed when he saw a shadow on the roadway. He said two shots were fired at them, so he and Smith jumped in the truck to take cover.
Wheaton saidSmith yelled, "I'm shot, I'm hurt."
Wheaton said he then heard a man say, "Oh, you're not shot."
He said two more shots were fired as Smith drove them back onto Whites Mountain Road. Wheaton said Smith's leg was stiff when he reached down to take it off the accelerator because the vehicle was going too fast. That's when the vehicle crashed into the greenhouse.
Wheaton said he was worried about his friend, but he testified that he couldn't move because a woman with a gun told him to lay down until police came.
Wheaton was taken into police custody for several days but he isn't facing any charges in relation to the evening's events.
Smith was known to police. Days before he was killed on Mason's property, he was sentenced for another break and enter.
Family and neighbours of Mason say theft has been a real problem in the area, and that he was just defending his property. Twice before,Mason had things stolenoff his property.
"People don't realize how many places are broken into," said Larry Mason, a relative of the accused. "It's unreal. You try to stick up for yourself … you're the guilty one, then. I know RCMP can't be everywhere, they try their damnedest to get these guys, but it's just unreal."
The court has set aside five days for this trial, which continues Wednesday.
Monday 29 July 2024
Top Mountie ousted by Higgs flagged political 'influence' on policing
Opposition leaders rap Higgs for 2021 removal of top RCMP officer
Larry Tremblay’s letter on political ‘influence’ raises concerns about premier, say Susan Holt, David Coon
Opposition leaders say new information about the 2021 departure of the RCMP's top officer in New Brunswick is another example of Premier Blaine Higgs blaming others for his lack of leadership.
CBC News revealed this week that J Division commanding officer Larry Tremblay raised concerns about a Higgs government vision that "blurs the lines between politics and policing" in a July 2021 letter.
The province had asked for Tremblay's removal from the position, leading to Tremblay's retirement from the RCMP later that year.
"It's yet another example of political influence from the premier where it shouldn't be," Liberal Leader Susan Holt said Monday. "We need our public safety leaders at the RCMP to be independent, and we need their work to be clear and transparent.
"This is another example of a lack of leadership from Higgs."
Green Leader David Coon agreed.
"It's more of the same," he said, accusing Higgs of believing he is "the boss of everybody. It was no surprise to me at all."
Then-public safety minister Ted Flemming asked for Tremblay's removal in a July 15, 2021, letter, invoking a section of the province's policing contract with the RCMP.
CBC News has obtained the letter that Larry Tremblay, once the top Mountie in New Brunswick, wrote in 2021. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Flemming told then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki he didn't have confidence in Tremblay to ramp up the fight against drug crime in the province.
In his July 26 letter to Lucki, Tremblay said the force had been fighting drug crime, but the province had never identified it as a priority.
Instead, the Higgs government had a "different vision" of police independence, Tremblay said, and the force must remain "independent and free from influence."
A spokesperson for the Public Safety Department refused to comment on the letter obtained by CBC News. The RCMP also refused to comment.
Under the policing contract, the province can set goals for the RCMP as the provincial police force but operational decisions are up to the force itself.
Tremblay's letter did not identify specific examples of blurred lines between politics and policing but said there were differences between the RCMP and the province on issues, including Crown-Indigenous relationships and how to handle legal protests.
Holt and Coon agreed with policing expert Chrisitan Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College, that a provincial police commission — like the boards that exist in Saint John and Greater Moncton — would safeguard police independence.
On certain issues, there were differences between the Blaine Higgs government and the RCMP, the letter says. (Radio-Canada)
Coon said the model is used elsewhere in Canada and is a good suggestion.
"To have buffers between politicians and those who deliver public services … I think the case has been made repeatedly."
The Green leader said Higgs's top-down, hands-on approach was a continuation of how former premier Brian Gallant governed.
Holt said public concern about crime is real, and rather than doing real work to address it in 2021, Higgs opted instead to look for someone he could fire — as he has done when problems have erupted in other areas such as health care.
"It seems the premier doesn't have answers for them, so went looking for somebody to blame," she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Top Mountie ousted by Higgs flagged political 'influence' on policing
Larry Tremblay wrote that PC government’s vision ‘blurs the lines’ between politics, policing
The RCMP's top officer in New Brunswick raised concerns about political interference by the Higgs government when he was ousted from the job in 2021, according to a letter he wrote at the time.
Assistant commissioner Larry Tremblay wrote in the letter, obtained by CBC News, that his removal was the result of disagreements with the provincial government over its vision that "blurs the lines between politics and policing."
"In my view, it is imperative that the provincial police remain independent and free from influence in the application and enforcement of laws," he wrote in the July 26, 2021, letter to then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki.
Tremblay wrote the letter 11 days after the government invoked a section of its policing contract with the RCMP to demand Tremblay's removal as the head of J Division in New Brunswick.
Tremblay's letter was addressed to then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Ted Flemming, as justice and public safety minister, said at the time that he had "no confidence" that Tremblay could "drive the change" to fight drug crime and be accountable to local communities policed by the RCMP — two priorities for the government, he said.
In his letter to Lucki, Tremblay said that wasn't true.
He told the commissioner that Flemming's letter was the first time anyone from the Higgs government told the RCMP that drug crime was its top priority, and that a "directional statement" from the province didn't refer to it as a priority.
Until he was called to a meeting on June 30, 2021, "I had not received any prior indication" that the partnership between the province and the RCMP "was anything but positive and future focused," he wrote.
"I believe the request for my removal is not related to a lack of provincial drug enforcement or community engagement and accountability," he continued.
"I believe this request stems from a different vision of the role of the provincial police that blurs the lines between politics and policing, and the resulting direction provided to police."
The three-page letter also provided details of the force's efforts on drug crime and said the RCMP's reporting structure through regional service commissions made it "extremely difficult to demonstrate to local communities the value of our service."
Tremblay's letter did not identify specific examples of blurred lines between politics and policing.
But he wrote the Higgs government and the RCMP had "principled differences" on issues, including "a measured approach to lawful protests" and Crown-Indigenous relations, as well as on policing standards, intelligence sharing and external reviews of incidents.
Three months before Tremblay's removal, the premier announced he was ending tax-sharing agreements with 13 First Nations communities in the province.
Ted
Flemming, as justice and public safety minister, said at the time that
he had 'no confidence' that Tremblay could 'drive the change' to fight
drug crime and be accountable to local communities policed by the RCMP. (Jacques Poitras/CBC file photo)
The federal police force had adopted an Indigenous reconciliation policy that included training for officers in "appropriate police intervention options" during protests, including alternatives to confrontation such as "de-escalation techniques."
The cancellation of the tax deals did not lead to any major protests or roadblocks by Indigenous people.
Tremblay would not agree to an interview about the letter or his removal.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Kris Austin turned down a request for interviews with Austin, Flemming or Premier Blaine Higgs.
"Minister Flemming's letter to the Commissioner accurately expresses his reasons for writing," Geoffrey Downey said in an email.
"We have nothing further to say about this."
Christian Leuprecht, a professor and policing expert at the Royal Military College, said the letter is an example of "fundamental flaws in the contract policing model."
New Brunswick's contract with the RCMP says the provincial public safety minister sets "objectives, priorities and goals" for the RCMP's provincial policing, but the force decides how to apply federally set "professional police standards and procedures" to its operations.
Those two can be at odds, Leuprecht says.
Christian
Leuprecht, a professor and policing expert at the Royal Military
College, said the letter is an example of 'fundamental flaws in the
contract policing model.' (Submitted by Christian Leuprecht)
The RCMP can also be left "holding the bag" when protests flare up over political decisions.
"Any police force will tell you, 'Our job is not to do political policing,'" Leuprecht said.
"We've learned a lot of hard lessons … about how not to police political protest. I think that's partially what the deputy commissioner is likely echoing.
"The minister is telling him, 'I want this resolved, I want that resolved,' and he's saying, 'Yeah, you can tell me to resolve that, but you can't tell me how to resolve that.'"
The government's demand for Tremblay's removal was made under a section of the RCMP's contract with the province to police communities without their own municipal forces.
When the ouster became public in October 2021, Flemming said in an interview the government wanted to "declare war" on drug crime.
"I found, and the government found, that we were not having the kind of leadership that we felt we needed," he said.
Flemming requested Tremblay's removal in a July 15, 2021, letter to Lucki. Tremblay remained in the position until he retired from the RCMP at the end of October 2021.
Tremblay's letter disputing the province's explanation was dated July 26, and three days later, on July 29, Lucki responded to Flemming's request.
In her letter, the commissioner said it was unfortunate no one from the province had told her about "concerns" with Tremblay before invoking the agreement to ask for his removal.
"There may have been an opportunity to proactively address some of the issues you've raised," she wrote.
RMCP spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland said in an email Friday that Tremblay "made a personal decision" to retire in 2021. She said the force had no other comment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The RCMP cannot deny that I have commented a lot since
The RCMP can also be left "holding the bag" when protests flare up over political decisions.
"Any police force will tell you, 'Our job is not to do political policing,'" Leuprecht said.
"We've learned a lot of hard lessons … about how not to police political protest. I think that's partially what the deputy commissioner is likely echoing."
The first question I should ask him is "Who is WE???"
Yup
Ronald Miller
Kyle Woodman
Reply to Ronald Miller
Like hiring travel nurses for 100's of millions of dollars?
David Amos
Reply to Kyle Woodman
Good question
Dan Lee
Reply to Kyle Woodman
and dont forget the mosts wonderfull gifts to irving........more wood......great subsidies...replanting irving s brand.......pay to cut crown wood........
Gabriel Boucher
Reply to Ronald Miller
You're describing authoritarianism, not democracy. Democracy is when the common people are considered as the primary source of political power, not the leader.
Matt Steele
Just another old rehashed story from THREE years ago that was already investigated , and reported on previously . There has always been the attitude with some police services that they are above the law , and answer to no one but themselves . The province provides provincial policing , and pays a substantial amount of taxpayer money to do ; and no doubt MLAs get a lot of complaints about the lack of policing services , and the rise in crime . If the RCMP want the contract to provide provincial policing , they need to be accountable to the government , and taxpayers of N.B. . The Higgs PC government brought in the SIRT program to provide independent over sight and investigation for police officers involved in serious misconduct , so no doubt that would upset some in the policing community who thought they should answer to no one but themselves .
Bobby Richards
Reply to Matt Steele
Don’t you have an artist rendering of the NB museum to celebrate?
David Amos
Reply to Matt Steele
Methinks one has to go back a lot further than 3 years N'esy Pas?
Reply to Gabriel Boucher
Reply to Ed Wallis
"We can see here that New Brunswick is trying to set a trend, that if we're going to pay for contract policing, the police force is ultimately responsible in a democracy to a civilian political authority, that being the provincial government."
Melanson and Arseneau both say that aggressive police action is not the best way to tackle drugs and addiction.
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2023/04/higgs-government-rules-out-provincial.html
Thursday 13 April 2023
Higgs government rules out provincial police force to replace RCMP
Automatic reply: YO Higgy Why is that I am not surprised that I am being blocked from commenting on this topic?
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 Premier of Ontario | Premier ministre de l’Ontario<Premier@ontario.ca> | Fri, Apr 14, 2023 at 3:36 PM |
| To: David Amos <david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | |
Thank you for your email. Your thoughts, comments and input are greatly valued. You can be assured that all emails and letters are carefully read, reviewed and taken into consideration. There may be occasions when, given the issues you have raised and the need to address them effectively, we will forward a copy of your correspondence to the appropriate government official. Accordingly, a response may take several business days. Thanks again for your email. ______
Merci pour votre courriel. Nous vous sommes très reconnaissants de nous avoir fait part de vos idées, commentaires et observations. Nous tenons à vous assurer que nous lisons attentivement et prenons en considération tous les courriels et lettres que nous recevons. Dans certains cas, nous transmettrons votre message au ministère responsable afin que les questions soulevées puissent être traitées de la manière la plus efficace possible. En conséquence, plusieurs jours ouvrables pourraient s’écouler avant que nous puissions vous répondre. Merci encore pour votre courriel. | |
YO Higgy Why is that I am not surprised that I am being blocked from commenting on this topic?
David Amos<david.raymond.amos333@gmail.com> | Fri, Apr 14, 2023 at 3:36 PM |
| To: "kris.austin" <kris.austin@gnb.ca>, "Mike.Comeau" <Mike.Comeau@gnb.ca>, "Michael.Duheme" <Michael.Duheme@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, "blaine.higgs" <blaine.higgs@gnb.ca>, Andrew.Holland@natureconservancy.ca, Daniel.J.Allain@gnb.ca, "Holland, Mike (LEG)" <mike.holland@gnb.ca>, a.black@sackville.com, dan.murphy@umnb.ca, b.phinney@sackville.com, Newsroom <Newsroom@globeandmail.com>, "Jacques.Poitras" <Jacques.Poitras@cbc.ca>, "David.Akin" <David.Akin@globalnews.ca>, "bruce.wark" <bruce.wark@bellaliant.net>, jean-francois.leblanc@rcmp-grc.gc.ca, bbachrach <bbachrach@bachrachlaw.net>, TheBirdist@gmail.com, macxjack@gmail.com, "rob.moore" <rob.moore@parl.gc.ca>, "John.Williamson" <John.Williamson@parl.gc.ca>, pm <pm@pm.gc.ca>, "Katie.Telford" <Katie.Telford@pmo-cpm.gc.ca>, "Arseneau, Kevin (LEG)" <kevin.a.arseneau@gnb.ca>, "Kevin.leahy" <Kevin.leahy@rcmp-grc.gc.ca>, jesse <jesse@viafoura.com>, jesse <jesse@jessebrown.ca>, PREMIER <PREMIER@gov.ns.ca>, premier <premier@gov.bc.ca>, premier <premier@ontario.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nl.ca>, premier <premier@leg.gov.mb.ca>, premier <premier@gov.pe.ca>, premier <premier@gov.ab.ca>, Office of the Premier <scott.moe@gov.sk.ca>, premier <premier@gov.nt.ca>, premier <premier@gov.yk.ca> | |
| Cc: motomaniac333 <motomaniac333@gmail.com>, megan.mitton@gnb.ca, jborne@dorchester.com, d.beal@sackville.com, b.goodwin@sackville.com, m.beal@sackville.com, Eric.Hanson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca | |
Higgs government rules out provincial police force to replace RCMP
Higgs government rules out provincial police force to replace RCMP
Minister says transition would take a decade and cost would be ‘extremely high’
Public Safety Minister Kris Austin told a committee of the legislature Thursday morning that there's no money in his budget this year to set up such a force because the province has opted against it.
"A provincial police force is really not feasible, simply because of the costs associated with it [and] the amount of time it would take to implement such a division, such a force," he said.
He later told reporters the transition to a provincial force might have taken a decade and the cost would have been "extremely high," though he didn't have a dollar figure.
"It would be a huge project, and I'm not convinced that the public would get the best bang for their buck," he said.
The province has a 20-year contract with the RCMP for policing most of the province that will end in 2032. (Shane Magee/CBC)
The RCMP now provides provincial policing under a 20-year contract in areas of the province where there is no municipal police force.
Municipalities are required to pay part of the cost, and some communities have complained in recent years that they don't feel they've been getting police coverage in line with what they're spending.
Austin said rather than replace the RCMP, his department will continue working on how its own enforcement officers, Mounties and municipal police can work together more effectively to provide better service.
He also said he's open to working with municipalities that are unhappy with the federal force and that opt to create their own forces.
"These are all discussions we're willing to have. At the end of the day it's got to be feasible. The standards have to be there. We want good policing."
Liberal
public safety critic Jacques LeBlanc says Austin raised questions about
RCMP staffing when he was leader of the People's Alliance. (CBC)
Liberal public safety critic Jacques LeBlanc said he was "kind of surprised to hear the minister say it's not feasible.… We all knew that."
He pointed out that Austin raised questions about adequate RCMP staffing in rural areas when he was the leader of the People's Alliance party, before he joined the Progressive Conservative government a year ago.
"It's like putting your foot in your mouth," LeBlanc said.
Austin acknowledged his previous position during the committee session.
"That's certainly something that I have, in previous years, obviously wanted to know more about. So now I know more about it."
Last year residents of McAdam complained at a public meeting that the RCMP were taking too long to respond to calls.
The force later stepped up their presence in the village, but local businessman Don Doherty says it hasn't helped and crime remains a problem.
Don
Doherty of McAdam said the RCMP aren't effectively responding to crime
happening in the New Brunswick village, and was one of several people
who spoke out about their concerns at a meeting at McAdam High School
last year. (Aidan Cox/CBC)
Switching from the RCMP to a provincial force wouldn't make any difference as long as federal policies and laws make it hard for police and prosecutors to arrest people or secure long prison sentences, he said.
"It's impossible to lay charges with the way the laws are," said Doherty.
"It needs to be fixed at the federal level, not the provincial level. A provincial police force is not going to change anything anyway."
Two
years ago, then-public safety minister Ted Flemming said a provincial
police force was 'something we should take a hard look at.' (Ed Hunter/CBC)
In December 2021, then-minister Ted Flemming called a provincial police force "something we should take a hard look at" because of complaints about inadequate RCMP services, especially in rural areas.
Flemming called it a complex issue and said the province would be giving up the one third of police funding that the federal government covers when the RCMP polices municipalities.
The province has a 20-year contract with the RCMP for policing most of the province that will end in 2032.
The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick called for a review of policing services in 2021 and the provincial government's white paper on local government reform promised such a review.
Municipalities complained about the rising cost of RCMP policing after officers were unionized, as well as a lack of local control and accountability.
The province will spend $125 million on its policing contract with the RCMP this year, an increase of around $24 million this year.
Green
MLA Megan Mitton said the province should consider other ways to
support local communities, such as with mobile crisis services and
social workers. (Patrick Richard/CBC)
That increase, in part, reflects the province absorbing the increase to policing costs so municipalities don't have to pay for it, Austin said.
"As a provincial government, we said we're not going to download that cost. That cost is something we're going to bear."
Green MLA Megan Mitton said the province should consider other ways to support local communities, such as with mobile crisis services and social workers.
"What else is needed in our communities?" she said. "These are policy decisions, and I don't always think we're on the right track with this government."
But Doherty said communities need more police officers and tougher laws.
"It is not a social problem. It is a behavioural problem and the only way to correct it is with stiffer sentences."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Would it not be easier to name the communities who aren't complaining about poor service?
That's probably about it.
Is this like contractors who don't want to do the work quoting astronomical costs and timeframes so they either won't have to do the work or get a huge payday with no strings attached.
In January 1980 the Highway Law Enforcement Division was renamed the New Brunswick Highway Patrol and the focus changed to policing. Expansion during the early 1980s saw the NBHP expand its coverage to all highways in New Brunswick. Training requirements mandated a law enforcement background and members of the NBHP were peace officers with the same training and responsibilities as other police forces in the province under the Police Act.[1] [2][3] [4]
The NBHP expanded to 114 uniformed officers commanded by a chief and deputy chief and supported by civilian staff at the detachments. NBHP divided the province into two regions with a staff sergeant being responsible for each region. Each detachment was commanded by a sergeant and patrol officers had the rank of constable. There was no rank of corporal.
In July 1988 the recently elected government of Premier Frank McKenna announced that the responsibilities of the NBHP would be contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "J" Division. The NBHP was abolished effective February 1, 1989. Have no idea as to why they were discontinued. It would be nice to have the NBHP reinstated.
The NBHP expanded to 114 uniformed officers commanded by a chief and deputy chief and supported by civilian staff at the detachments. NBHP divided the province into two regions with a staff sergeant being responsible for each region. Each detachment was commanded by a sergeant and patrol officers had the rank of constable. There was no rank of corporal.
In July 1988 the recently elected government of Premier Frank McKenna announced that the responsibilities of the NBHP would be contracted to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police "J" Division. The NBHP was abolished effective February 1, 1989.
Province changes course and gives ombud records on new Fredericton jail
Province had refused to give records to ombud for review, claiming they are confidential cabinet documents
That comes after the department initially refused to provide the ombud's office with the records, claiming they're confidential cabinet documents.
After CBC News reported on the refusal on Wednesday, Premier Blaine Higgs said he'd asked the deputy minister and clerk to look into it.
"People are lighting their hair on fire on this and I want to make sure transparency is there as much as possible," Public Safety Minister Kris Austin said on Thursday during a Legislative committee meeting, after Green MLA Megan Mitton asked about the records.
Last year, CBC asked the province for all records that detail the need for a new jail, such as records that discuss the business case for the jail or capacity issues within existing correctional centres.
The
province refused a right to information request from CBC that asked for
records about the decision to build a new jail. The Southeast Regional
Correctional Centre in Shediac is pictured here. (CBC News file photo)
The Department of Justice and Public Safety refused to provide any records in response to that request, saying all the records are exempted under sections of the right to information law that protect confidential cabinet documents and advice to a cabinet minister.
CBC appealed the decision to provincial ombud Marie-France Pelletier, whose office handles complaints about right to information.
The government then also refused to provide copies to Pelletier's office, claiming all of the records are protected under cabinet confidences. It's one of only two reasons the law allows the department to not produce records to the ombud for review.
Austin says department followed the law
Austin said the department reversed course and decided to provide the records to the ombud "out of an abundance of transparency." He said his government has never provided a cabinet memorandum to anyone, including the ombud.
"The premier has always been very big on ensuring that the public knows what's going on and that there's no perception out there of trying to hide anything," Austin told reporters.
Austin said the department followed the law when it refused to hand over the records.
But he also said the information has already been released to the public, raising questions about how it could be considered confidential information.
"What I've given you is hard data … here's the capacity levels, here's where we're at or over capacity, over the last several years," Austin said.
"What the [memorandum to executive council] is going to give is basically the same thing summarized in a different form."
When asked whether he will follow the ombud's advice if Pelletier determines the records should become public, Austin didn't seem to see any issue, even though his department refused the right to information request.
"If it's the information that we've already been giving, why wouldn't we? There's no extra information there. It's the case around why we need the jail."
Last month, the ombud's office told CBC the records may not have been properly held back, and suggested the department reconsider its decision to not provide the records to CBC.
"Unfortunately, the department was not amenable to changing its minds, and maintained its original position that you are not entitled to access to any records," the ombud's office wrote.
Cost of Fredericton jail now up to $42 million
Austin also told the committee Thursday that the cost of the Fredericton jail is now estimated to be around $42 million, up from the $32 million figure the government gave a year and a half ago.
A spokesperson with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure told CBC this week that it won't have a better sense of the overall cost until it finishes work to "define the project's requirements."
"I'm not overly concerned that the costs are going to be that exorbitant," Austin said. "You've got to take in inflation, it's the world we live in today. But if that [number] changes, we're going to get it done."
Plans to build a new jail were announced in December 2021.
The expenditure didn't appear in the Progressive Conservative platform from the 2020 provincial election or in the party's 2018 platform. The government has cited rising crime rates and jails stretched to capacity as reasons why the new jail is needed.
- Austin leans on top cops, crime data to make case for more police spending
- Change in the way N.B. counts people in jail makes the correctional system seem more crowded
As of March 31, Austin said there were 450 men inside provincial jails, which is under the capacity number of 470. Another 18 men were being monitored by ankle bracelets on this date, the minister said.
Money better spent on housing, MLA says
Criminologists who have previously spoken to CBC have argued that building a new jail won't reduce crime or make the public any safer, and the money could be better spent on things like mental health care, addiction and housing.
Green MLA Megan Mitton pressed Public Safety Minister Kris Austin for
more justification around building a new jail. (Patrick Richard/CBC)
In the committee meeting Thursday, Mitton asked Austin to provide more justification for why the government plans to spend at least $42 million to build the jail.
"That's a lot of money," Mitton told reporters.
"We could really use those investments in other things like supporting a housing first approach, so that people who are leaving jail have the supports they need to not end up re-offending."
The department's operating budget for 2022-23 includes $3.7 million for provincial jail programming "designed to help [people] change their lives and avoid re-offending once released."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Jacques Poitras
That is both laughable and demonstrably untrue.
a new jail ??
Jails are built everyday .
Let's have more "transparency" by acknowledging
the fact that this jail has been unpopular since
it was first announced.
*Politics* at its finest !!!
Promises, promises....
Strange how it’s all good for him to question but alas, not to be questioned by others.
Although the Ombud will receive all the documents some of these documents I still do not believe will be for public consumption, as with many documents and the legislation they come under. Most of the data was already public, this was a a story when there was none.
Walking in someone else’s shoes.
And the Premier said, ….
RNC losing members to RCMP
Imagine getting $20,000 more a year to do the same job you're doing now. It happened on Thursday to police constable John Clarke. He left the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and joined the RCMP. The Mounties got their man and he got a big pay raise.
John Clarke said goodbye to fifteen years in the RNC and became a Mountie. Clarke will do the same work he did in the RNC, at the same rank, for much more money. "My understanding," says Clarke, "is it's a 20 thousand dollar a year raise, so that's quite a significant amount.."
Clarke is the first RNC officer to sign on with the Mounties under their new policy of hiring officers from other forces. He probably won't be the last. Tim Buckle, who's with the RNC 's union, says, "We're of an understanding that eight of our members wrote the entry exam in the last two weeks. We understand that at least 20 have applied. So we think there's going to be a substantial departure from the RNC."
So who'll stop the bleeding? Certainly not Justice Minister Kelvin Parsons . "The RCMP, as I understand it, have their salary ranges set by a national tribunal which takes into account the top three police forces in Canada," says Parsons, "That's their way of doing business and we live within the fiscal realities of what we're able to do."
For the RNC, that means living with the seven per cent raise they got last year. That's something John Clarke won't have to worry about. He starts his new job on Friday.
https://www.thecanadafiles.com/articles/jcra
John Clarke: The police as the "rich man's army"
Written by: John Clarke
Some years ago, I was on the street outside of one of the drop ins used by poor and homeless people in Toronto’s Downtown East. It was a pleasant summer day and, there being no need to stay indoors, many of those using the facility were eating their food outside. Suddenly, a tow truck went by, pulling along a police car that had been in a collision. Dozens of people immediately started clapping and cheering at this sight. Let me connect that incident to a private and impromptu conversation I had with a judge at around the same time who candidly told me that, ‘the justice system is class based and the police are its gatekeepers.’ From the incident outside the drop in I have just described, you might conclude that those homeless people and the judge shared the same view of things, though I suspect the homeless understood it better than he did. The spontaneous celebration I witnessed on the street that day reflected a deeply ingrained and harshly reinforced understanding that the police are the natural enemy of poor and working class people, particularly those who experience the racial oppression that is fundamental to this society.
The murderous and racist brutality of the police in Minneapolis, manifested in the killing of George Floyd, has now ignited a social explosion across the US. This uprising, moreover, takes place at a time of broader upheaval, as the global pandemic unleashes an economic downturn of historic proportions. The period ahead, will be marked by mass unemployment, rising poverty, increased homelessness, widespread hunger, intensified racism and a political agenda of austerity and social cutbacks. The communities impacted by these factors and those who take the route of social mobilization and organized resistance in the face of the crisis, can expect an increased use of the police to maintain the particular and selective brand of ‘public order’ they are in the business of imposing.
Given all this, I want here to try and set out a basic explanation of just what the police, as an institution, represent in this society. Since I want this to be helpful to people just beginning to participate in social struggles, I shall try and present things as clearly as possible, with a selection of my own dealings and experiences with the police over the years. A major part of these dealings took place during the nearly three decades that I spent as an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP).
Roots
In England, the smooth running social order in which the landed aristocracy could exploit and oppress the peasants, was referred to as ‘the king’s peace.’ During the period, from the late 1400s to the very early 1600s, that the Tudor monarchs sat on the throne, the powers of the state were centralized and used to control a population of people who had been thrown off their land. This was done to open up capitalist forms of agriculture and to compel the peasants to become waged workers in the modern sense. This was a question of the state ‘keeping the peace’ in order to facilitate the creation of a new social and economic system and to keep a lid on the unrest that this massive social dislocation involved. Chapter 28 of the first volume of ‘Capital,’ by Karl Marx, sets this out in more detail.
As the Industrial Revolution got underway, in the 19th Century, and a developing factory system increased the need to control a growing and restive urban working class population, the authorities looked for a more vigorous and effective method of maintaining public order. This intensified need to keep exploited and oppressed communities in line led to the formation of police forces. In 1829, the London Metropolitan Police were formed and a body came into being that could amass significant repressive strength when necessary but that also had the ability to ‘patrol and control’ working class communities on an ongoing basis. This was an enormous advance for the the capacity of the state to impose its will and dictates. Acts of frustration or survival that poor working class people might engage in could be responded to much more immediately but, just as importantly, entire communities would now know that the enforcers of state power were never far away. It is worth noting that a rudimentary police force came into being in Toronto just five years later, in 1834. In the Canadian context, apart from this form of urban police initiative to control working class populations, a particularly sharp contribution to the racist nature of policing is to be found in the RCMP. Its forerunner, the North West Mounted Police, was formed to advance the dispossession of the Indigenous people living on the western plains and, as a colonial police force, it was modelled on the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
The Police and their Peace
It would be entirely accurate to say that the role of the police in this society is fundamentally about warding off threats to the property relations that capitalism rests on. That means protecting physical property but also defending the exploitative forms of activity that this property is put to and (getting back to the concept of the peace) it requires the preservation of an orderly society. That last concept has to be understood as orderly in the way a society based on injustice views the term. Hence, a person without food has no claim to the protection of the police but the owner of a supermarket full of overpriced groceries can count on them to arrest the hungry person who steals food. Workers whose jobs are dangerous and underpaid have no right to police protection but, if they go on strike, their employer can call on the police to escort strikebreakers across their picket line. The system of law and order the cops enforce is that of an exploitative ruling class.
The police are summoned to constrain and suppress, if necessary, movements of protest and social resistance, as is happening in the US at this moment. There are also a whole range of particular and specialized activities some of them engage in. The basic day to day function of most police officers, however, is to patrol communities. In affluent neighbourhoods, they keep an eye out for threats to safety and well being. In poor and racialized communities (where they focus their efforts) they act very differently. In these places, they assert the very kind of social control function that the 19th Century founders of modern policing had in mind. In the neoliberal city that has emerged over recent decades, moreover, the geographical space between rich and poor has diminished. Communities are in the process of gentrification and, in those situations, the police function as the shock troops of redevelopment, assisting the incoming wealthy residents and businesses to contain and drive out the poor.
How directly the police discharge this function can’t be overstated. In the Downtown East of Toronto that I organized in for decades, the affluent homeowners and business interests know they can rely on the police and the latter develop strategies and tactics to meet the needs of those they really ‘serve and protect.’ I was cycling past a public park some years ago and saw a cop giving a ticket to a man sitting on the grass with a couple of bags beside him. The cop was on a motorcycle and left just as I was approaching. I discovered that he had just given a ticket to an elderly homeless man for ‘camping in a park without a permit.’ Now, this man was fully dressed and resting his head on one his unopened bags. He obviously wasn’t camping but the cop had simply selected this offence and applied it to him because, as he told him, ‘the businesses across the street don’t want you here.’
Hundreds of thousands of such incidents take place in major cities every day. At a protest we once organized to challenge a restaurant owner who was trying to get a nearby homeless shelter closed, a senior police officer told me that he felt his most important role wasto keep the core area of the city free of ‘vagrants’ in order to preserve a good climate for local businesses. Now, that isn’t written down anywhere and, in fact, the notion that the police should try and interfere with the legal rights of those who are poor so as to uphold the economic interests of the rich is actually at odds with the officially mandated duties of the police. However, that is exactly how they work in reality.
A homeless man I know got roughed up and arrested because he yelled out at a couple of passing cops that they were part of the ‘rich man’s army.’ He was right and they knew it as well as he did. In 2000, as I spent a night in the cells in the 52 Division of the Toronto Police, arrested on a charge related to a protest, I got a fascinating demonstration of the ‘class based’ nature of policing, as the above mentioned judge described it. During the night, a man was brought in swearing and struggling and was put in one of the cells. He continued to shout his head off so the cops came back to deal with him. They were unbelievably polite and even deferential. From their ongoing conversation with him, I discovered that he was a retired school principal who had gone to a restaurant where he he managed to get very drunk. He started beating up his wife and, when staff tried to intervene, positioned himself behind a table and hurled plates and cutlery and anyone who approached. When the police arrived, he punched one of them in the face. Brought to the station, he was placed in an individual cell because the police didn’t want to put such a respectable gentleman in the drunk tank. He was not charged with any criminal offence but only given a minor ticket and released to his wife’s care as soon as he had had a little nap and come to his senses. The class instincts of the system of policing worked to ensure that someone who wasn’t supposed to be in its net was swiftly set free.
Myth and Reality.
The things I have just described are not supposed to happen and any police spokesperson would deny that any such events took place. However, it would be wrong, in my view, to conclude that that explanation lies in 'police wrongdoing,' in the sense of the conduct I have described being a distortion of how things are supposed to work. The capitalist state and its institutions need a fair measure of legitimacy and cops can’t patrol the streets in cars that have, ‘To Serve and Protect Bourgeois Property’ written on them. That’s exactly what they do but, in order to do it effectively, the legislature, the courts, the media and others have to look the other way so as to afford the police enormous latitude. The police feel their have a right to total impunity but what they get is easily close enough for the system to work.
In this climate, though there are periodic scandals and crises when they are too crude and obvious, the police can indeed function as the ‘rich man’s army,’ oppressing and intimidating poor and racialized communities day in and day out, while being officially required to impartially enforce the law. A Somali taxi driver came into our office, holding a thick wad of tickets. He was told by the cop who issued them that ‘I know you didn’t really do any of these things but I’m raising money for my country.’ A young Black man I met in a drop in told me he had been put up against a wall by two cops and, when he protested that he had done nothing wrong, was told by one of them, ‘I know but we were bored and thought we’d harass a n...’ A homeless man told me of the beating he received at the hands of two particularly notorious cops. As they inflicted it, one of them gave him an ongoing set of predictions on the injuries each blow from their sticks would cause. In each of these cases, the police involved were guilty of professional misconduct and, indeed were committing crimes, but, in reality, they were exercising their function of social control on the targeted communities this oppressive and racist society wants pacified and contained. It just prefers to leave the ugly details to the professionals.
Though it is the nature of the police function that is decisive and not the thoughts and motivations of the cops themselves, the question of how their they view what they do is not without interest. I have found cops to be quite simple people, suited to the role they play. I don’t mean by this that they are stupid. They can be very cunning and manipulative, have a clear minded ability to take control and intimidate people and they are certainly tenacious in the pursuit of their objectives. However, the function they have to discharge is a odds with a serious capacity for critical thought and cops have a very narrow and authoritarian view of things. In their minds, law and order (with the emphasis on the latter) are inherently good and those who challenge them are simply bad people. They view themselves as noble and heroic in a way that is almost child like. During the preliminary enquiry that took place before a jury trial three of us faced, over a supposed ‘riot’ at the Ontario Legislature, a cop took the witness stand against us. He had been at the event and, during the course of it, started beating someone on the ground with his club. One of my co-accused tried to prevent this and the cop lost his footing. He testified that he felt hands grabbing him and, as he put it, ‘This is an officer’s worst nightmare because you know the crowd wants only to take your life.’ Video footage that was played shortly thereafter showed clearly that no one came near him while he was on the ground except for a press photographer who helped him up. No doubt this rather hapless witness was hoping to help get us all convicted but I don’t actually think he was lying. I think he really did see the whole event as an evil mob that he was protecting society from and, if he fell on the ground, he would fully expect such wicked wrongdoers to pose a threat to his life. Those in the ranks of the ‘rich man’s army’ accept or disregard the fundamental injustices of the society whose order they impose and see the authority they uphold as sacred and beyond challenge. They also view their brutal role as the enforcers of inequality and injustice as a noble mission. It is hardly surprising, then, if their line of work attracts the kind of people who don't think too deeply about things.
As I began by saying, the period ahead will be shaped by the huge crisis of the capitalist system that is now unfolding. There will be a major effort to ensure that working class people pay for this crisis, in the form of intensified exploitation, greatly reduced living standards and cuts to vital public services. To the extent that workers and communities resist, they will deal with the police as the security detail for an agenda of austerity. In the US, as people take to the streets to challenge police racism and brutality, much is being made of cops who ‘take the knee’ to show their supposed sympathy for racial justice. There are reports of cops attacking protesters shortly after their staged kneeling performances are over. As we build movements of resistance, we can’t have any illusions in what the police are and who they serve and protect. Our goal must be too mobilize a fight back from among the millions of people impacted by the crisis that is too massive and too powerful for this system or its cops to hold it back. We must fight to win.
https://www.facebook.com/john.clarke.771282/
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