Police in N.L. need more oversight and accountability, says group pushing for change

Anew group is building a case for more police transparency and accountability in Newfoundland and Labrador, and pushing for future changes to be made.

The newly formed working group on police oversight stems from First Voice, an Indigenous coalition headquartered in St. John's andfocused on implementing calls from the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as well as the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The working group is focusing on two calls for justice from the latterthat prioritize the needs it hears from the community.

According to the working group,police forces in Newfoundland and Labrador have some of the weakest accountability systems in the country.

"We look around to the rest of Canada and see that there's a really big difference so we're just trying to in some ways catch up," said group co-chair Catherine Fagan in a recent interview.

The working groupis looking at the province's policing legislation, consulting community, and creating recommendations for how to improve oversight.

Civilian-led oversight board?

One possible suggestion could be a civilian-led oversight board for police forces. It would beresponsible for things like setting police priorities based on community feedback and approving training and use-of-force policies, said Fagan.

At least 67 police forces in seven provinces are directly accountable to civilian bodies, according to the working group, but that's not the case with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.

As it stands, the RNC answers directly to the provincial government. There is no "buffer," said Chief Joe Boland.

The serious-incident response team and the RNC's public complaints commission are civilian-led, but those teams investigate issues and complaints involving police after the fact.

In other jurisdictions, police chiefs report directly to civilian bodies who evaluate their work.

Boland thinks First Voice will recommend an oversight board when it puts out its final report, expected by the end of the year.

"I'm certainly not opposed to it," he told CBC News on Monday. "I'd like to see the model. I'd like to see what that looks like."

Oversight bodies can be elected or appointed, he said. "I'd have to see what they present."

Systemic racism, over-policing

Indigenous communities have outlined systemic racism in policing, police accountability and over-policing as key issues to deal with, said Fagan.

People are scared of officers, she said, and there's a fair amount of distrust in the police, particularly among racialized and Indigenous communities, as well as among women.

"Police forces are supposed to be part of the community and not be this top-down approach that kind of polices and, kind of, terrorizes its community members," Fagan said. "And that sounds like a harsh word, but I think that's a reality for certain segments of our population."

Even without civilian oversight,Boland said, the RNC is always reaching out to, and connecting with, people with lived experience.

"I don't get many complaints about other officers when it comes to how we interact with, you know, different minorities, vulnerable groups in this community," he said.

Police are under more scrutiny than ever before, but officers remain a critical part of the community, he said, adding that there's a need for open discussion on "where we all fit."

How does the province respond?

The First Voice Working Group on Police Oversight expects to produce a discussion paper by the end of the summer, before the final report due at the end of 2021.

Justice Minister John Hogan said he looks forward to reviewing that discussion paper with the working group once it's released and to see what the provincial government can do "to make sure that policing in this province is as accountable as possible."

We hear a lot about policing and issues in the United States, he said, but that doesn't mean Canada or Newfoundland and Labrador is immune.

"It seems, certainly, readily apparent to me, that policing and tactics and things like that are becoming bigger issues," he said.

"And if public input into policing is something that can help groups and people in this province particularly Indigenous people that's something I'm willing to look at."

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