Nunavik Police Service aims to relaunch cadet program
Its goal is to improve ties between Nunavimmiut and police force
Nunavik police Chief Jean-Pierre Larose says he wants to increase trust between Nunavimmiut and the police force by relaunching a cadet program for youths. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
Nunavik Police Service is reviving its cadet program with hopes to increase its Inuit staff.
The program will recruit 18-year-old Inuit to accompany officers in activities such as prevention work, bike rallies and school presentations, said Nunavik Police Service Chief Jean-Pierre Larose in a French interview from his Kuujjuaq office.
After a summer or two as a cadet, they can decide if they would like to enter the Royal Canadian Mounted Police program that Nunavik police have been using to recruit other officers.
The six-month program, offered in Regina, trains a police officer from scratch. After graduating, they can be hired to enter Nunavik’s police service.
“I must admit, there is a lot of work to do,” Larose said of his team’s need to improve relations with Inuit.
“There is a barrier between us and the communities, there is reticence, a mistrust and I acknowledge that.”
Larose said he hopes to hire an Inuk co-ordinator to run the cadet program.
Nunavik police previously ran a cadet program in 2018, right before Larose started in his position, but the project was abandoned.
He said at the time that the Nunavik Police Service had a lot of other priorities and the cadet program, which was not as structured as what he hopes to build now, was neglected as a consequence.
“Now that we are structured, the [co-ordinator] will have a precise mandate” and have the support of a captain, he said.
Larose said he’s realized recently how much work needs to be done to bring Nunavik police and communities closer, especially after an incident in Salluit last year that led to the police shooting of Joshua Papigatuk.
There was a loud public outcry after Papigatuk’s death, which is under investigation by Quebec’s police watchdog.
“That is when I really realized, wow, even if we worked for eight years putting in place all sorts of things, from one day to another it is as if it all crumbled,” said Larose.
“I understood that we were far from mutual trust.”
Since then, Kativik Regional Government and Makivvik and Nunavik police are working to create a public security committee where representatives from all three groups can discuss policing, safety and accountability.
Larose said police officers can also involve themselves more in the communities by playing sports or joining in local activities.
“It is not like the south,” he said.
“We don’t ask [officers] to patrol the streets all the time. I ask more that [police officers] integrate themselves, go to the schools, participate in activities like when youth play hockey outside.”
Larose said he wants to start the cadet program this summer.
“Now is the right time,” he said.
How could you mention my son’s name ?
No one in the system never apologized to us. Police chief either KRG executives.
To Concerned Dad.
i AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENT 100%.
This is DISGRACEFUL, DISGUSTING and lack of EMPATHY on the nps and krg.
Yes, police services are disconnected from the Inuit society, and worse is the fact that Inuit society is disconnected from too many realities. No progress will be made with any effort on the police part if Inuit don’t set down to take a honest inventory of Inuit society. Nunavik today has an industrial atmosphere rather than a loving family community setting. It went wrong somewhere around 30 , 40 years ago, and it’s never been the same. Today, there’s little compassion, family values are non existent. Kids are in jeopardy, future is bleak. Drugs alcohol addiction seems to dominate people’s lives in a big way. Inuit society , Nunavik, today cannot lead itself into a future with the mess of peoples way of living. Inuit culture is what it is, and it’s not a proud display, compared to the real Inuit of yesterday. Just look around and ask yourself, take away outside support, and see the predicament of a dependent, otherwise lose into the greater society, with home grown motivation that’s deadly for survival.
Get those police to drive the school bus and bring the kids to school everyday.
– We are always lacking school bus drivers.
– The kids will see these people who work as officers and become familiar with them.
– The officers will get to know the community.
Typical.
Expecting some one else to also baby sit their own children and raise them since you can’t drive them to school?
Then complain about paternalism.
Is that Skool miles and miles from home?
We used to do this thing called “walking” back in the day.🤣🤣🤣
It’s a good way for the southern police who are not part of the community to connect with the community.
Also, did you walk on the roads in kuujjuaq lately? The staff vehicles (khb, makivik, hospital, air Inuit, council, suluk, ki, others) speeding around town thru stop signs make it hazardous for pedestrians. Duh.
Yes, the abuse of company equipment, including vehicles to speed, and what pressure do you see out useless municipal leadership putting on good well for the community by demanding the police get off their comfy seats and get to protect the population, thereby doing their duty? We have a dead beat leadership that doesn’t work, just collect pay, buy smokes and beer and play bingo. They are it, and we are still dodging the speeders.
“The six-month program, offered in Regina, trains a police officer from scratch. After graduating, they can be hired to enter Nunavik’s police service.”
That’s one of the problems right there. You can walk in off the street and take a six-month program and be hired as a police officer.
Six Months.
That’s for Inuit. The officers in Quebec go through a 3 year program.
Basic training is 450 hours over 15 weeks.
https://www.enpq.qc.ca/en/police-officer-candidate/program#:~:text=The%20goal%20of%20the%20Basic,hours%2C%20spread%20over%2015%20weeks.
As far as I’m aware, is 6 months of training for the rcmp program at Regina, and it’s always been that way for long. The 6 months of training has always sounded a short period for such an important job in society. It would make sense to add more psychology and sociology, plus mental health training, just saying, maybe more courses. But, maybe the focus should be on the quality of applicants. I don’t think, it’s a secret out in the real world, how so many individuals working different jobs, don’t suit that type of work, just don’t belong. You take the doctor or nurse, that has little compassion, bedside manners non existent. The sexual offenders become teachers, the priest, and police officer, needs to have power over the vulnerable. These selection processes must be researched and studied more to filter out the poor quality of candidates getting into these opportune careers and doing no good. It’s a difficult one , but I bet , it’s the way to go, training duration aside, but thought off as well.
There are cadets or trainees if you well, already accompanying the NPS, patrolling with them without proper uniforms and equipment. why send untrained southerners into the field especially after the incident in Salluit that shook everyone.