Jean and I recently attended a Dene Nation meeting in Yellowknife, where chiefs discussed how to improve public safety and crime prevention.
This was in response to the 鈥渄ramatic rise in drug use, alcohol abuse and community crime that threatens the safety and well-being of our people.鈥�
Leaders are very concerned with what they see happening to their members, relatives and communities. People are getting hooked on drugs like crack cocaine, and drug dealers are bringing drugs into small communities.
The result is people have their lives destroyed after getting addicted and drug-related violence is spreading across the NWT. This has ended up with people being threatened, hurt, or killed.
The leaders were told by different sources that arresting drug dealers is not enough because a drug dealer who is arrested will be quickly replaced by their bosses, who are usually gang members.
Apparently, drug dealers will leave if there is no market for their drugs. One chief said that it will be really hard to eliminate the market because the market is our own people buying drugs. That means it is necessary to provide counselling, alcohol and drug treatment, support, after care and so on.
RCMP trained to deal with violence
Dehcho Grand Chief Herb Norwegian expressed concern that when people are arrested for drug trafficking, they always seem to have drugs, a lot of money, weapons and ammunition. Not too long ago when traffickers were arrested, they didn鈥檛 have guns. He said a chief may knock on a door because people are complaining about someone possibly selling drugs and they would be met by someone with a gun.
In his presentation to the forum, RCMP Supt. Chris Romanchych also warned leaders not to take matters into their own hands. Leaders should instead work with the RCMP, who are armed and trained to deal with people who are violent and have weapons. Romanchych said drug traffickers 鈥渄on鈥檛 care about the rules. They don鈥檛 care about your safety.鈥�
The RCMP said they are putting together an NWT top offenders list with a score attached on how much harm is caused. This will help them to see 鈥渨here we need to focus efforts to have the most significant gains for safety in our communities.鈥�
The RCMP also said they are waiting for the GNWT to pass The Forfeiture Act so property and money can be seized and possibly later be used for community programming. They are also working on getting passengers screened when they take commercial flights into the communities.
The police superintendent said it's a problem when they arrest people who are quickly released on bail without proper conditions. He said the traffickers should receive a jail sentence that reflects the harm they are causing to people.
Sentencing and bail are also concerns of the NWT Youth Parliament, who recently passed a motion to change the Criminal Code to give longer sentences to drug traffickers. One student described stabbings and shootings in her community of Hay River.
Task force on drugs
The Dene leadership passed a motion to create a Task Force on Drugs, Alcohol and Community Crime Prevention. Each region will have a representative on the task force, including women, Elders and youth.
The leaders want the task force to work with the RCMP, the Department of Justice and other territorial and federal leaders to find solutions and change policies and laws to address the needs the task force identifies.
There will be a terms of reference created, and the task force will report back to the chiefs, who will consider their report and provide feedback and initiate action. It was not yet agreed upon as of May 7, but Norwegian wants the task force to visit every community for a couple of days.
Norwegian said that 鈥渆very community person that wants to express their concern should be allowed to. They have to feel heard. They have to know that we have listened to them and we are taking their concerns seriously.鈥�
Some of the things mentioned in discussions on the task force included airport searches, dogs at airports, banishment and better educational programs for young people.
Indigenous policing
The leaders also heard presentations on Indigenous policing initiatives from a couple of sources, including from Tribal Protective Community Services (TPCS) from Manitoba. Services the TPCS provides include safe rides, responding to emergencies and emergency support and training for things like search and rescue.
They also go on wellness checks with social workers to check on people, do patrols and highway check points, surveillance activities, report to RCMP, bylaw enforcement, and use K9 units 鈥� dogs that sniff out drugs at entry points to communities.
Indigenous policing would allow communities to be in charge of their own policing, which could include all that TPCS provides. Unfortunately, there is no NWT Police Act, so one would have to be developed. They would also need something like a police commission that oversees the Tribal Police in Alberta.
The other thing is that the Alberta Tribal Police are funded almost half and half from the federal government and the Government of Alberta. Would the chiefs be able to get funds from the GNWT for half the cost of the Indigenous police if they want to go for it?
Lots to think about, but it鈥檚 great to see that the chiefs want to do something about public safety and enhancing crime prevention.
