Photo: Government officials sit down in Pangnirtung

Riita Strickland, the assistant deputy minister of justice at the Government of Nunavut and Mike Jeffrey, the chief superintendent of the RCMP “V” division in Nunavut, at a special meeting held last night in Pangnirtung. Officials who work in mental health, poverty reduction, public safety, as well as at the Department of Justice and the RCMP, flew to Pangnirtung this week in response to an urgent plea for help issued by the hamlet following a wave of suicide attempts and violent incidents. “Your community is like other communities in Nunavut where the crime is increasing slightly, in this community in particular over the last three years,” Jeffrey said. For more, read our story later on nunatsiaq.com. (PHOTO BY BETH BROWN)