Iqaluit RCMP mend fences with Inuit

GREG YOUNGER-LEWIS

In an effort to build bridges with the community, Iqaluit RCMP officers mingled with dozens of elders over char, bannock and tea earlier this month, leading one elder to say the two sides are now united as “one whole”.

The event, part of the RCMP’s “police week” activities in Iqaluit, and the endorsement from elders proved a public relations coup for the force, often perceived as having a rocky relationship with Inuit.

The meeting in the RCMP mess hall on May 13 also offered a crime prevention opportunity to police, who told elders how to watch out for fraud, a reportedly increasing problem throughout Canada, with seniors being duped of their savings by scam artists.

In an interview during the meeting, Const. Stephan Kilabuk recalled how he answered a call where an elder had been repeatedly robbed by her own grandson.

The call showed elders can take action to stop crime, but Kilabuk worried others aren’t being helped.

“Elders sometimes don’t know they’re been take advantage of,” he said.

Elders at the meeting also gave accounts of other crimes that they face, such as drunks pounding on the doors of their homes demanding to come in.

Sammy Qaumariak, 66, said that she was “very, very happy” that police took the time to meet elders, adding that the effort reflected a willingness on the part of the RCMP to protect elders – and perhaps ask for some help in return.

“The meeting made it seem like we became one whole,” Qaumariak said in Inuktitut. “I know the RCMP are always trying to help you… I don’t blame them for asking for help. They need it.”

Qaumariak, who first knew the RCMP decades ago as the Qallunaat who delivered the mail by dog sled, said police in Iqaluit are fighting a level of crime never seen before, mostly due to alcohol and a booming population. RCMP estimate nine out of 10 crimes in Iqaluit are related to booze.

Qaumariak said she didn’t have much advice on how to stem crime levels, other than stop people from drinking, which she described as impossible.

“I was a drinker,” Qaumariak said. “Telling a drinker not to drink is like telling a smoker not to smoke. They’ll just smoke more.”

Qaumariak said police should continue using restorative justice methods to prevent crime, such as providing counselling from elders for people involved with minor crimes, instead of sending them to prison.

RCMP officers hope the recent elders’ meeting will lead to more community gatherings involving police.

Const. Ben Williams said RCMP officers should start attending more community events, like Inuktitut dancing and games at the parish hall, and feasts hosted by Inuit birthright organizations, in order to thaw relations between the two sides.

Williams suggested RCMP also needed to dispel their reputation as distant or inaccessible authority figures. One of the best ways to do this, he said, would be to increase foot patrols.

“We need to do this so we can be seen in the community, and not just driving by in a truck,” he said. “It would show it’s easier to approach us. We’re easy to talk to.”