Deputy chief says officers not trained to handle toughest situations

KANGIQSUALUJJUAQ – The Kativik Regional Police Force wants the Sûreté du Québec to take over the investigation of sexual assaults and child sex abuse cases in Nunavik.

Jobie Epoo, the KRPF deputy chief, said he is negotiating a deal with provincial police because his officers are not adequately trained to handle the toughest cases.

"We want to be able to, but we know we can't, according to the training that the police force has," Epoo told a recent Kativik Regional Government council meeting in Kangiqsualujjaq.

Provincial police already fly into Nunavik communities during armed stand-offs. And murder in Nunavik is always followed by a visit by the SQ's special investigators.

The SQ has visited Nunavik several times over the past year.

The SQ arrived to take over policing the region last September after it was revealed only six of the KRPF's 54 officers and special constables had all their paperwork in order and had been legally sworn in as police officers.

The SQ moved its members out in November, but a few months later, some returned to Ivujivik and Salluit when the departure of KRPF members left these two communities under-policed.

Retired SQ officers, whose salaries are paid for by Quebec, are now in Kuujjuaq and Kuujjuaraapik as advisors and backups to the KRPF.

Lack of policing experience among KRPF officers is contributing to the high staff turnover within the force, the KRPF's report said.

Right now, 30 of the KRPF's 55 members are police on short-term contracts. Only 12 are Inuit, despite a recent drive to recruit Inuit who used to work for the KRPF but quit.

"We did try our best, [but] we didn't get much," Epoo said.

The KRPF expects to experience manpower shortages this summer when police head off on holiday. To cope, the KRPF may form a rotating team of eight members, with two each in Kuujjuaq, Salluit, Puvirnituq and Kuujjuaraapik.

The KRPF needs a completely different approach to attract Inuit, he said. He said he hopes higher salaries will help.

Last month, the Nunavik Police Association approved pay increases of approximately $4,000 for rookies and $2,800 for experienced members, which puts the KRPF's starting salary at $36,873, and, after four years on the job, at $53,172.

The union is negotiating a new collective agreement they hope will reduce turnover and lure new recruits.

At the same time, to improve morale, the KRPF is moving ahead with the design of a redesigned uniform sporting a jazzy black, white and gold logo, which features a polar bear and igloo.

And, through a deal with the Kativik Municipal Housing Bureau's affordable housing program, the KRG is building eight new housing units for KRPF, and Makivik Corp. is building six. The police station in Kuujjuaq will receive a $1.3 million addition.

The KRPF has also ordered eight new police vehicles for Kangiq­sual­ujjuaq, Kuujjuaq, Aupaluk, Tasijuaq, Kangirsuk, Kangiq­sujuaq, Inukjuak and Kuujjuaraapik.

If the numbers of calls to the KRPF continue at current levels, there will have been about 1,000 fewer calls to police in Nunavik in 2007 than in 2006.

Some regional councillors questioned whether the drop in calls during the first four months of 2007 might be due to the public's reduced confidence in the KRPF or a refusal by overworked cops to respond to calls or fill out paperwork later.

The KRPF's report to the regional council admitted "with all the negative press coverage and scrutiny, public perception has been on a downward swirl."