By Nigel Maxwell

Sask. Chief calls for ‘immediate action’ over viral Facebook video

Mar 1, 2018 | 4:16 PM

The Chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation says the words and actions of a Saskatchewan RCMP officer are entirely inappropriate, and he has asked for immediate action to be taken.

Peter Beatty is responding to a video on Facebook which showed an RCMP officer from the Pelican Narrows detachment telling a woman to F**k off. The officer then pushes the woman to the ground to retrieve a hockey stick she swung at the officer’s RCMP vehicle as it drove away.

“I know it was reactionary on the part of the officer and I don’t know if they get the training for that kind of stuff but my goodness you don’t say those kinds of things regardless of whether these people were intoxicated or not,” Beatty said.

Beatty said he contacted the detachment commander in Pelican Narrows. He said he was assured the matter is under review and is being taken very seriously.

“We are very concerned and we expect the RCMP to take action,” he said.

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Beatty said he heard there was a prior arrest that led to the incident in question, but added those details will come out in the RCMP investigation.

Vice-Chief Harold Linklater was responsible for creating a peacekeeper program in the community. He said the timing of the video is very bad.

“You know considering what’s transpired over these last few months you know regarding Boushie and Fontaine, it’s really spurred a lot of tensions I suppose,” Linklater said.

Both Beatty and Linklater said they plan to meet with the RCMP to discuss the matter further. A meeting was scheduled for next Tuesday. Beatty said the Federation of Saskatchewan Indegenous Chief Bobby Cameron has also expressed his concern over the matter.

When a person has a complaint about the actions of an RCMP officer, they can make a formal complaint through the RCMP’s Civilian Review & Complaints Commission.

The organization’s communications strategist, Anna Van Dusen, was asked by paNOW if a complaint had been made in this matter.

“For privacy considerations we aren’t able to confirm if we have received a complaint,” she said.

Van Dusen said once a complaint is made to either the RCMP or the provincial body responsible for policing in the province, she said the rcmp will investigate and issue a report which comes back to the complainant.

“If a complainant is not satisfied they can come back to us and say ‘I’m not happy with this’ and they can request we do a review,” Van Dusen said.

Van Dusen said all complaints are kept anonymous unless the complainant themselves publicy states they made a complaint.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell