Cops to stamp the pavements of Iqaluit this summer

Music is blasted outside Arctic Ventures store in Iqaluit to deter drug peddlers and loiterers from hanging around outside. Starting this summer, RCMP officers are stepping out from their vehicles to do this themselves. They intend to catch criminal activity and random acts of mischief around areas of interest, as well as to give more of a “community based policing feel,” said Sgt. Kevin Lewis. (PHOTO BY DAVID MURPHY)

RCMP in Iqaluit is working on getting more feet — and maybe wheels — on the streets of Iqaluit this summer.

Sgt. Kevin Lewis said at a May 22 city council meeting that police are going deploy foot patrol officers in the summer at hot spots in the city, during weekends, and at special events.

There is also talk about having cops ride around on bikes in the summer as well, although no decision has been made about that yet due to possible costs and the need for training.

The plan, first proposed by the RCMP last year, would see police walking the streets as soon as the weather starts improving.

“The purpose of us exploring the bike patrol and foot patrol is to get more of a community based policing feel, and I feel like this is a good way to do that,” said Lewis in an interview with Nunatsiaq News.

The topic of foot patrolling was brought up at the city council meeting by Coun. Joanasie Akumalik after he told Lewis of an incident that occurred in his neighbourhood recently. Akumalik said young people were going door to door, peering into people’s homes until Akumalik yelled at them.

Akumalik thinks it’s a good idea to have cops on the ground.

That might deter criminal activity and random acts of mischief around areas of interest, “primarily where drug dealers would sell their product,” Lewis said.

“I think foot patrol would be a little more proactive in that sense when someone trafficking drugs would not know when police are just around the corner on foot. It would give us more of a clandestine edge, and [we can] do business a bit more proactively in a sense, and get in touch with the community.”

Lewis said the patrols could also give “the community a better feel for the police and make them realize that the police are members of the community as well.”

Also at the May 22 council meeting, Lewis discussed new criminal data from this past month.

Total service calls for April are down by almost 100 compared to this time last year, and the total amount of prisoners from January are down by 36 compared to 2011.

Lewis chalks this up to a more pragmatic approach the police are taking when dealing with frequent offenders.

“We’ve implemented some programs that include our repeat client program where we refer people that come into our care in jail, on a regular basis, and we get them referrals to social services, and for alcohol counseling and things like that,” he said.

“We’re trying to get them to leave here with a contact, or at least the resources to get in contact with some type of health profession to prevent them from coming into our custody on a regular basis.”

But anyone who is a “chronic client that we deal with on regular basis” will go through the court system, charged with causing a disturbance or mischief.

From there, Lewis said those who have serious addiction problems may be referred south for substance abuse services.