Police report shows fewer detainees, crimes in Nunavik last year
Nunavik Police Service year-end report presented to Kativik Regional Government members
Nunavik Police Service presented its statistics for 2023 in the first Kativik Regional Council meeting of 2024. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
There were fewer crimes involving violence, theft and mischief last year in Nunavik and fewer people were taken into custody, according to a year-end report presented by Nunavik Police Service.
Nunavik police Chief Jean-Pierre Larose presented the statistics for 2023 were presented to Kativik Regional Government members Wednesday during the third day of the regional council’s meeting being held this week in Kuujjuaq.
Incidents of assault from level one to level three were down sharply, to 2,410 incident last year compared to 3,003 in 2022. Assaults on police officers also dropped, to 239 last year from 298 in 2022.
There were 245 incidents of sexual assault last year, down from 271 in the previous year.
However, cases of sexual assault with a weapon increased to nine last year from seven in 2022, and there were three incidents of aggravated sexual assault compared to one case in 2022.
There were seven homicides in Nunavik last year, up from four in 2022 but even with the seven recorded in 2021.
Incidents of impaired driving in the communities dropped to 467 in 2023 from 662 the previous year, a 29 per cent decrease. However, impaired driving causing bodily harm cases rose to 30 from 21 the previous year and there were 29 hit-and-run incidents in Nunavik last year, up from 25 the year before.
There were 19 suicides across Nunavik in 2023, two more than were recorded in 2022 — but a sharp drop from 2021 when 28 people died by suicide.
Thefts, mischief-related crimes and the issuing of bylaw tickets all fell last year.
Statistics released by Nunavik police also showed officers took fewer people into custody in 2023 compared to 2022.
Last year, 3,205 adults were detained on criminal charges compared to 4,334 the year before. It was the same for youths, where 67 were detained for criminal matters last year compared to 101 in 2022.
Concerning arrests, most of the workload went to officers on the joint task force involving Nunavik police and Quebec provincial police officers, which was formed in 2021, said Deputy Chief Jean-François Morin.
“Since its creation, the team has successfully executed numerous investigations and substance control operations,” said Morin.
“The team has proven to be very effective, improving response time of investigators deployed on major events.”
Morin said that among the numerous operations they were a part of in Hudson coast and Ungava coast communities, the biggest was one that went through Canada Post.
Two operations have been conducted since November, Morin said, and they involved illegal smuggling or sale of alcohol, methamphetamines, cannabis, hashish, mushrooms and contraband cigarettes.
All told, the items seized carried a black market value of about $490,000.
Currently, the Nunavik Police Service has 107 active officers in the region. 11 new student employees were hired and started their training at the RCMP police academy, and three students graduated from the academy and began working in Nunavik.
The academy is a way for Nunavik Police Services to accept candidates who do not have a diploma from the Quebec Police Academy.
Recruits are sent to an RCMP depot police academy in Regina, Sask., where they go through a 26-week training program. After graduation, recruits sign a five-year contract to work with the Nunavik Police Service.
What about the complaints being made towards NPS? Are they up or down ? I wonder why this statistic isn’t there.
They say there are presently: Nunavik Police Service has 107 active officers in the region”. How many are Inuit beneficiaries of Nunavik? How many are Anglophone? How many are Francophone? How many are Nunavik Police Service Officers? How many are there belonging to or affiliated with the Surete du Quebec? Is it the protocol or policy for the NPS to have their NPS Officers or SQ officers to shout down at the Inuit? In other words by Belittling us by Intimidation”. The drop in crime could be a hypothetical question, such as “The Inuit do not want to press charges against other people who break the law and when you have aggressive and biased police officer investigate the victims of a crime, the police tend to turn the tables and begin interrogating the victim and this makes the victim was likely to speak to the police or to contact the police to lay criminal charges against someone else. Most if not all of the NPS officers and the SQ Officers has the potential to retaliate against those who wish to lay criminal charges against these officers who are physically abusive, mentally abusive and emotionally abusive towards the Inuit who want to lay criminal charges but through their intimidation tactics and biased opinions, the victim is being revictimized again. This in turn is why many Inuit do not want to call the local police for help. Some not all believe that the police believe they are better than the Inuit and they the police should be exempt from having written or verbal complaints made against them. They believe since they are from the south and working in Nunavik communities they are privileged to do whatever they feel like doing. Arresting innocent people who wish to walk away from the police but the police have chips on their shoulders, and they do not know how to de-escalate and the Inuit are being charged on trumped up charges that benefits their work record. By any means of Intimidation, Hovering over the Inuit, Shouting down at the Inuit, showing force by having 4 or 5 police officers showing up at a single mothers home because she called for assistance and that mother is being forcibly and physically arrested for asking for help from the police. Th systematic Racism that is shown from the chief of police to the NPS and SQ officers to their security guards, social workers and youth protection workers. They tell us they are overworked. If you believe you are overworked and have 3 or 4 other officers in the community resting then it is not the problem of the individuals within the community that you are overworked. Its your employer giving you the opportunity to work in a region for up to 6 to 12 months where you will receive the experience needed to be hired by the SQ or OPP where they will hire you immediately because of the work related experience needed to work for or to be employed by the SQ or OPP. Stop believing within yourself that you are the Saviors of the Inuit and that you all are Mightier than the Inuit.
Stop justifying your illegal actions towards the Inuit.
Well said!! These police officers believe they are god. They can break the laws they swore to protect but you have many bad apple NPS and SQ officers having a GOD LIKE STANCE!!
as mentioned above: Where exactly is the statistics for the police brutality arrests? Using unnecessary force and unlawfully arresting innocent people because we speak up for ourselves when we know just a little bit about the law. Its like the wild wild west and the police officers are running rampant. I do not qualify as a lawyer but I have had many dealings with the police and the criminal justice system where I have broken the law. These NPS and SQ officers who are hired by the local Inuit organization located at Kuujjuaq is suppose to be an Inuit organization but its staff is approximately 85% francophone. So how can an Inuit organization which is run by 85% francophone management positions allowed to dictate how the Inuit who are beneficiaries in Nunavik being allowed to be degraded by systematic racism, again…..
Interesting comment, very colonial. Both English and French are colonial languages for Inuit but it seems like the British colonizer gets the preference over the other colonizer. No mention of Inuit ways, Inuit legal traditions that are well documented. There are many alternatives to police services but Nunavik is stuck in the colonial system that they call justice and police. For example, in western Canada there are the Community Safety Officers, all Indigenous that speak the languages of the people of the community but no, Nunavik still gets stuck in the colonial mind frame and colonial processes.
Nanuk kill stats are up 🐖
Calgary has 113 times the population of Nunavik but only 14 more homicides in 2023. WHAAAAACCCCKKKK
Who are those cops? Our community isn’t as tight-knit as it used to be, and the sense of community policing has disappeared. The National Police Service claims that impaired driving has decreased, but in reality, it may not have decreased at all. This is because we hardly ever see officers patrolling our streets like they used to. They are rarely visible among the general public, and it seems like they only appear for photo ops and nothing more.
you are correct.The Nunavik Police Service does not patrol as often as they should. When called upon by the residence of the community, they wait 20 to 25 minutes so their back up is available. Once they do patrol and find the person who is drinking and driving, they, the police tell them to go home. Whatever happened to good police officers?
Lots of fixable issues in Nunavik, and policing and judicial process are but one of them, maybe I should say two of them. Just to touch on police services: where are Inuit that should be visible, voicing and standing up for Inuit people ? Leadership, where is it? In kRG meetings, Makivik meetings? Where are they in their minds to be so passive and none focused on issues of real concern? Come on Inuit stop, the bitching about colonialism and take control of your lives. No one is stopping you. It’s your world, that you are not controlling. You instead , leadership that is are more concerned about wasting time and good resources, in an effort to go on meeting trips , Montreal big time, and sit, eat, drink, sleep in bed with hung over. Sleeping with anyone that is willing, dirty underwear and all, with the diseases attached. Your live with disconnect from reality, while some other culture and people are taking over your house and all that’s in it. Get on with owning your vision. It’s up to you. You are too passive, you must stop it and be part of the solution. If you don’t , you’ll see your culture disappear in about 50 years from now.