David Ramsay – Building Community Policing Partnerships

Mr. Speaker, the RCMP enjoys a long and important history in the NWT, going all the way back to its original creation as a force established to police what was then a much larger Northwest Territories. Today, the RCMP continues to be valued for the policing services they provide and the contributions individual members make in our communities.

Within our government, and throughout the North, we are working collaboratively to address social issues more effectively. The local policing plans we have developed in partnership with the RCMP and communities demonstrate how effective this approach can be. 

This process started two years ago, when the Minister’s policing priorities focused on objectives such as building public trust and confidence in RCMP services. From this came a series of conversations that were held between community members and the RCMP with the goal to develop plans setting out policing priorities for every community. As a result, each of our 33 communities has had the opportunity to work closely with the RCMP to determine what matters to them most.

In keeping with these priorities, community leadership and the Department of Justice receive a monthly report from the RCMP detailing progress on the agreed issues. This process is building trust as well as accountability and contributes to an increased satisfaction with policing services.

Communities are now better informed about the work of the RCMP and the Department of Justice can identify common issues and priorities Northerners share. The valuable community-based information collected in reports will be used by the Department and our partners to guide policies, programs and services. The ultimate result will be an increasingly effective and efficient use of limited financial and human resources.

As part of the evolution of this work I have asked the RCMP to go further in working with the communities by developing joint policing action plans. These are intended to complement and work hand-in-hand with the priorities set by each community. The community and the RCMP will work together to decide how to address the priority issues within existing resources. While many of these will be coming directly from the RCMP, this process also gives communities the opportunity to contribute their own strengths and resources. These action plans will help to demonstrate progress and outline timelines for results. Again, we are finding ways to be accountable to those we serve.

Mr. Ron Smith, the new Commanding Officer of the RCMP at “G” Division, is known to many of us. He is here with us today and I will be acknowledging him at the appropriate time. Prior to assuming the Commanding Officer position in May, Chief Superintendent Ron Smith was the officer in charge of criminal operations here in the Northwest Territories. He has served in other northern jurisdictions including Nunavut and Labrador. We are all looking forward to working with him.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Wade Blake for his contribution to policing services as Chief Superintendent of “G’ Division. Mr. Blake was instrumental in rolling out our new approach to the policing priorities from the beginning. It is his good work that we are now able to build upon, and we are very pleased that he will continue to work with us in his new position as Director of Community Justice and Community Policing.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard the concerns of Members about the 12 communities that do not have detachments. In consultation with Chief Superintendent Smith, we will be recommending that these communities be the first to benefit from this enhanced policing plan process.

Achieving sustainable, vibrant, and safe communities is one of the goals of this Assembly, and we are committed to making it a reality in partnership with communities. The RCMP and the GNWT recognize the importance of collaboration to ensure we are properly targeting and allocating resources to meet the needs and priorities of the people we serve. We believe in the people of the NWT, the history, the strength and the abilities we have to make our communities safer together.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.