Swamped by crime, Nunavik searches for answers

KUUJJUAQ – Will cadets on bicycles and a traveling bear mascot be part of the answer to tackling crime in Nunavik?

Here's the idea: a new cadet group of youth aged 14 to 22 will carry out bicycle patrols in Nunavik communities and promote gun safety by handing out locks to gun-owners.

At the same time, the Kativik Regional Police Force's new mascot, Nanook, will encourage support for the police and healthy living by regular appearances at schools, sports tournaments and events like Puvirnituq's snow festival later this month.

That's the plan of the KRPF, which is faced with uncertain financial resources and the larger-than-ever task of keeping the peace in Nunavik, which in the last two weeks saw a hostage-taking in Kangiqsualujjuaq, numerous medevacs created by violent incidents in Kangirsuk and a constable targeted by a gun-toting resident of Akulivik.

As for Nunavik's smaller communities, they want a minimum of three, fully-trained police per community.

No wonder they want more police, because levels of crime in Nunavik are up, say statistics tabled at last week's Kativik Regional Government meeting in Kuujjuaq.

Assaults have risen by 60 per cent, from 1,402 in 2006 to 2,332 in 2008.

Gun calls are up 57 per cent, from 44 in 2006 to 70 in 2008. Of these gun calls, 15 were in Kuujjuaq.

KRPF officers were victims in six of the 2008 gun calls, MacKinnon's report to the council said.

Drunk-driving files have more than doubled, from 231 in 2006 to 564 in 2008.

Drug cases are nearly four times as numerous, up from 85 in 2006 to 331 in 2008.

MacKinnon told the regional council that an alcohol and drug abuse program and a school bus safety program are in the works.

Impaired drivers and a school bus were involved in two recent incidents in Kuujjuaq, one of which was a hit-and-run collision.

Councillors at the KRG meeting wanted to know why a drug user in Salluit was able to walk into a local nursing station to steal syringes without any consequences, or why many bootleggers are not arrested, while in Nunavut they risk criminal changes.

MacKinnon told them she would look into the incident involving the syringes.

As for investigations into bootlegging, it, along with drugs and alcohol, will shortly be handled by a team of four new Sûrété du Québec investigators in Kuujjuaq who will work with two KRPF investigators. The new team to be based in Kuujjuaq is expected to start work in June.

But the KRPF's long-term future remains uncertain as the KRG, which manages the KRPF, has not been able to reach a new five-year agreement on regional policing with Quebec and Canada.

Created as a native police force in 1995, the KRPF's agreement with the federal and provincial governments is coming up for renewal in 2008.

But Ottawa has largely pulled the plug on its support to aboriginal policing programs.

Having struggled to recruit and retain Inuit throughout its history, the KRPF now has a largely non-Inuit face, with an all-Qallunaat management team.

Jobie Epoo, the former acting chief of the KRPF, is due to appear in Montreal court on March 11 in connection with an impaired driving charge incident last October.

The KRPF's one-year extension of its funding agreement with Quebec and Ottawa ends March 31. Last year, the KRPF received about $13 million.

KRG chairperson Maggie Emudluk told the council there wasn't time to reach long-term agreement by March 31. So, another one-year contract is likely to keep the KRPF going for yet another year.