Charlottetown not part of new P.E.I. police team aimed at curbing drugs, organized crime

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 5:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The state is backing a caller collaborative constabulary portion to assistance cleanable up the cause occupation connected Prince Edward Island, but the Island's largest municipal unit says it doesn't privation to beryllium involved.

The provincial authorities is spending astir $800,000 connected the caller Joint Enforcement Team, oregon JET, which launched astir 2 weeks agone with a absorption connected the illicit cause commercialized and organized crime. 

Seven officers marque up the unit, including 4 from the RCMP, 2 from Summerside Police Services, and 1 subordinate from the Kensington police agency. 

"All Islanders person seen the devastating effects of drugs successful our communities, and organized transgression down this [does] not run with the constraints of borders oregon jurisdictions," said Cpl. Gavin Moore, the P.E.I. RCMP's media relations officer. 

"This portion aims to spell up the organized transgression ladder and code those astatine higher rungs bringing drugs to P.E.I."

Charlottetown Police Services, though, has decided not to beryllium a portion of JET. 

Mayor Philip Brown and constabulary Chief Brad MacConnell precocious wrote a associated missive to P.E.I. Justice and Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson, saying the city's officers are liable for the bulk of cause enforcement efforts and seizures successful the province.  

"[The province] done its Department of Justice and Public Safety continues to show unfair and biased practices that spot disproportionate burdens connected our city, portion failing to supply equitable enactment to our mandate," the missive states. 

"While we stay committed to nationalist safety, our quality to prolong these efforts without just and accordant provincial concern has go unsustainable for our city." 

That missive goes connected to accidental that Charlottetown constabulary enactment the state successful captious areas specified arsenic intelligence health, societal issues and technology-based policing. 

The metropolis was besides captious of JET, saying a much "fulsome strategy" that tackles the basal causes of cause trafficking is needed. It argues the caller squad does not code the request for drugs.  

'It's getting retired of control'

Thompson told CBC News past week that helium hopes Charlottetown Police Services volition yet determine to travel connected committee with JET. 

"They consciousness they person the capable resources to bash their ain work," the curate said of the metropolis force's drug-fighting operations. "Everybody seems to beryllium moving together, truthful we anticipation Charlottetown comes successful and helps retired too." 

The caller squad already had its archetypal arrest. A hunt of a Summerside location led to charges and the seizure of drugs and weapons past week. 

RCMP said the caller squad volition enactment with Charlottetown police, adjacent if the metropolis unit isn't portion of the caller unit. Moore said nary areas of P.E.I. are off-limits, truthful the investigations volition see the superior city.   

"We are pursuing a exemplary of integration," helium said. "We surely volition enactment with Charlottetown to code drugs, arsenic this portion volition beryllium a provincewide unit." 

The justness curate said the team's cross-Island crackdown connected amerciable drugs and organized transgression is necessary, earlier the occupation gets worse. 

"We person to enactment a absorption connected this. It's getting retired of power and we truly privation to beryllium pugnacious connected drugs. It's affecting Islanders, it's affecting families, truthful it's got to stop," Thompson said. "Fentanyl is connected this island. We tin deliberation it's not, but it is. And we can't fto that proceed to instrumentality clasp here. 

"Are we arsenic atrocious arsenic different places successful the country? No, but we volition beryllium if we don't instrumentality power of this."