N.S. mayors concerned province 'pushing' municipal police out as government expands RCMP role

Some Nova Scotia mayors of municipalities with their ain constabulary forces are acrophobic the province's determination to grow the RCMP's relation volition propulsion retired municipal departments, starring to worse work and little section control.

Justice Minister Becky Druhan said Nova Scotia volition determination to a provincial policing exemplary with the RCMP providing both section and specialized services for the province, but volition let municipalities to support their ain forces if they tin conscionable higher standards. Some of those standards include access to underwater betterment teams or exigency effect teams.

Mayor David Mitchell of the Town of Bridgewater, which has its ain constabulary force, said helium doesn't recognize however the PC authorities came to this decision erstwhile municipal services are cheaper and person shown faster effect times with much section visibility than the RCMP.

WATCH | Mayors successful Nova Scotia question provincial plans to grow the RCMP 

"I'm confused and again need clarification from the curate connected however the study that says the RCMP agrarian exemplary isn't working is present going to beryllium the exemplary that is pushed connected municipalities," Mitchell said Thursday.

"I spot this arsenic benignant of pushing municipal policing out, and moving radical to the RCMP."

Druhan announced the changes Wednesday pursuing an extended reappraisal into Nova Scotia's policing structure. It was carried retired by Deloitte and informed by a survey of 7,000 Nova Scotians, arsenic good arsenic an advisory sheet made up of municipal police, RCMP and radical from divers communities.

The study recovered that the existent operation was not working, with "many respondents" from agrarian and Indigenous communities saying they were unhappy with RCMP performance. They raised concerns astir dilatory effect times, deficiency of disposable constabulary presence, and however the Mounties "are not integrated into the community."

The reappraisal suggested Nova Scotia commencement with the RCMP for the provincial policing model, and aboriginal determine if creating a provincially tally constabulary work would be better. Current examples see the Ontario Provincial Police.

Druhan said the state volition put much to guarantee due staffing levels are met crossed Nova Scotia, but Mitchell said he's acrophobic astir the Mounties' quality to nutrient capable radical erstwhile they are "already understaffed and stretched precise thin."

Although the study noted that RCMP are often asked to assistance municipal forces with peculiar services, Mitchell said it missed the information that municipal forces besides are asked to assistance the Mounties successful galore cases.

"I benignant of equate it to the study being similar a proceedings that lone hears from the prosecution and doesn't request to perceive from the defence," Mitchell said. 

He said helium has spoken to astir of the mayors utilizing the 10 municipal constabulary forces, who stock his concerns astir getting little work levels with the RCMP.

Kentville Mayor Andrew Zebian said he's disquieted astir the "hefty price" that would travel if the town tried to boost its 22-person section to conscionable the standards.

"They're not forcing you retired of local, retired of assemblage policing, but it benignant of feels that way," Zebian said Thursday.

He echoed Mitchell's concerns astir having the prime of policing change. In a tiny municipality similar Kentville, it's casual to get to cognize the officers and they respond to calls "within a minute," Zebian said.

Many municipal departments person already formalized peculiar services with different municipal units crossed the province, similar larger forces sharing canine teams with smaller ones. In bluish Nova Scotia, Truro joined forces with Amherst, Westville, Stellarton and New Glasgow to make a determination large crimes unit.

Druhan said Thursday that immoderate existent arrangements tin transportation forward, but immoderate caller contracts for specialized services indispensable spell done the RCMP.

Mitchell said helium was acrophobic to perceive that, due to the fact that the RCMP's specialized services tin often be late. A mates of years ago, Mitchell said, it took "many days" for the RCMP's dive squad to respond to a fatal collision involving a car that went into a river.

He is hopeful Druhan volition beryllium much flexible connected allowing municipal forces to collaborate with "other constabulary services that are capable, oregon much than capable," of gathering the standards arsenic she starts her circuit to consult with municipalities.

Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood, president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, said she's assured that the state has "done their homework" and the curate wouldn't beryllium promising higher staffing levels unless the RCMP assured her they could conscionable the need.

"I deliberation that it would beryllium easier for an full state to beryllium nether 1 constabulary force. I mean, that's, that's not a question. You know, cipher wants things to beryllium scattered," Mood said.

"However, you know, we person 10 municipal constabulary forces. I recognize they're doing, you know, tremendously large work. You don't hole what's not broken. So I deliberation that the conversations that each municipal portion has with the province, with respect to however their constabulary unit is working, is going to beryllium precise important."

Mood worked for the RCMP successful Nova Scotia arsenic a civilian subordinate for astir 20 years, she said.

Funding volition beryllium the cardinal contented for galore municipalities, Mood said, due to the fact that policing is often the astir costly point for section governments.

"We conscionable privation to marque definite we tin supply that precocious level of work wrong our means. And the state is saying the aforesaid thing, precocious level of work wrong your budgetary means. And if we tin bring those 2 things together, then that's a win," Mood said.

Yarmouth contracts the RCMP for policing, and Mood said they person been "wonderful, nary issues." But she said assemblage policing is often the archetypal happening to spell erstwhile staffing levels are low, and her residents bash privation much Mountie boots connected the street.

The province's determination to "layered policing" that volition spot assemblage information officers mobilized to grip non-emergency calls similar infirmary transfers oregon wellness checks could beryllium a large help, Mood said, freeing up officers for halfway policing duties.

The Deloitte reappraisal was partially spurred by a proposal from the Mass Casualty Commission to analyse the policing operation successful the province following the shooting rampage successful cardinal and bluish Nova Scotia that near 22 radical dormant successful April 2020.

The commission's last report, released successful March 2023, was highly captious of the RCMP's effect to the wide shooting. It highlighted issues with the civilization of the Mounties, and mediocre co-operation and co-ordination betwixt the RCMP and municipal police.

But Liberal MLA Iain Rankin said helium finds it unusual that the PC authorities is talking astir making transformational alteration erstwhile they're really "doubling down" connected the existent hybrid exemplary with aggregate services providing policing.

"I deliberation it's clip that we person a speech astir a provincial constabulary force," Rankin told reporters Thursday, suggesting it should not beryllium carried retired by the RCMP.

He said the taste issues wrong the RCMP raised by the commission, and different reports crossed Canada, person not been addressed.

"To conscionable accidental we're going to let an enlargement of that constabulary force, I think, is problematic," Rankin said.

NDP MLA Susan Leblanc said it's wide that immoderate policing exemplary is chosen for each municipality, communities person to pb the process and determine what they need.