(Facebook/Tina Pelletier, PAGC)

By Glynn Brothen

COMMUNITY SAFETY

PAGC explores Indigenous-led policing service with data collection, community visits

Jul 11, 2024 | 6:00 AM

The project to determine feasibility of a self-administered police service for Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) members is underway, with much work to be done to determine policing needs and challenges of each of the 12 First Nations and 28 individual communities.

David Sanderson, a former RCMP member and the public safety implementation advisor for the project, said while this new phase only began last month, the overall project has been a long time coming.

“As communities get bigger, policing doesn’t seem to be catching up,” he said. “They’re not getting the quality of policing they need or the safety they need for their communities.”

A request for the study was first proposed in 2017. Now, equipped with $1.4 million in government funding, advisors will travel to and engage with the 28 communities within the PAGC to collect individual input on what will improve policing for their specific area, whether its cultural components, mediation, crime prevention or substance abuse. Sanderson said it’s a response to the numerous complaints about the existing police service.

“There’s been a lot of steady complaints regarding policing [either] through the RCMP or municipalities,” he said.

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Policing requirements will also factor in the geographical challenges of each location. For example, Black Lake, Wollaston Lake, and Fond Du Lac are fly-in communities. All locales face the challenge of isolation, and some have pre-existing policing services that others don’t; Black Lake has a 24-hour RCMP detachment, for example.

In the case of the James Smith Cree Nation, a security team is in place, but leadership for that First Nation wants members deputized which carries the power of arrest.

READ MORE: As healing continues, James Smith Cree Nation leadership calls for increased policing

Sanderson said this early in the information gathering stage, it’s about determining what each community has or needs going forward as a future police service may not be a one-size fits all approach.

“Really at the end of the day, a lot of communities are hoping to have police officers in their communities 24/7,” he said.

Advisors are working to incorporate input from other First Nations in Canada to have success with an Indigenous-led policing model. Last year, PAGC leadership travelled to Arizona to visit and learn from the Navajo Nation Police whose deputies cover roughly 70,000 square kilometers since the force’s establishment in 1872.

The feasibility review will take two years to complete and from there will provide a detailed snapshot of what currently exists for service in each community, what the needs are, and a cost analysis for improvement. The review will then be shared with the PAGC leadership, federal and provincial governments to determine the best policing model to select moving forward. In the interim, no changes will be made to policing services.

The following are the upcoming engagement sessions and locations:

Tuesday, July 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Morin Lake #217: Hall Lake, Sikachu and Clam Lake Bridge. Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Hall Lake Band Hall. Lunch will be provided

Tuesday, July 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sandy Bay, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Community Band Hall. Lunch will be provided.

Wednesday, July 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pelican Narrows, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Community Band Hall. Lunch will be provided.

Thursday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Southend, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, Community Band Hall. Lunch will be provided.

Monday Aug. 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wahpeton Dakota Nation, Wahpeton School Gym. Supper will be provided.

Sanderson encourages additional input via community survey, a link to which is provided here.

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glynn.brothen@pattisonmedia.com