Nunavut police defuse armed confrontation

Nunavut RCMP said its officers were able to defuse an altercation involving an armed person in Whale Cove last week.

On June 18, RCMP members in the Kivalliq community responded to a report of an individual who was armed and barricaded inside a local residence, the RCMP said in a June 22 release.

After several hours of negotiation, a 28-year-old woman handed over her weapon and agreed to leave the residence before anyone was injured.

Police arrested the woman under the authority of the Mental Health Act, the RCMP said, just shortly after midnight. The woman does not face any criminal charges.

Following the incident, police encouraged Nunavummiut in distress or their family members to seek help and support when needed.

“When you need someone to talk to, there is help on the line,” said RCMP Sgt. Yvonne Niego, who also sits on the Embrace Life Council’s board of directors.

She pointed to the Nunavut Kamatsiaqtut Help Line which now operates 24 hours a day at 1-800-265-3333 and online at www.nunavuthelpline.ca.

“There is hope and there is help. You just have to reach out for it,” Niego said. “Use your voice.”