CBN detachments could use more Mounties

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

There are 46 RCMP detachments in Newfoundland and Labrador, and according to Superintendent Keith McKinnon, who looks after Mountie offices from CBN to Lewisporte, the Bay Roberts and Harbour Grace detachments are the busiest in the province.

McKinnon made the remark during an RCMP Town Hall at the Princess Sheila Nageira Theatre in Carbonear earlier this summer.

Several RCMP members shared information and answered questions from the audience during the session. One of the main topics was the Trinity-Conception RCMP offices being understaffed, and how the public can help them.

“I have to say that Harbour Grace-Bay Roberts, this neck of the woods, is the busiest district in all of Newfoundland and Labrador, bar none,” said McKinnon, who has 35 years service and is also a critical incident commander. 

When it comes to calls, said McKinnon, the force prioritizes person crimes over property crimes, but responds to all calls as fast as possible.

Part of the manpower crunch, McKinnon explained, is due to the Covid pandemic. When the pandemic hit, the RCMP Academy in Saskatchewan had to slow operations.  

“With somewhere around 3,200 to 3,500 members retiring a year, all of a sudden we lost 7,000 Mounties in a flash,” McKinnon said. 

The academy is in full swing again, with 32 troops of 32 officers in attendance. Nonetheless, the Trinity-Conception RCMP offices are very understaffed, making it difficult to keep up with the number of calls they receive. When they are not on calls, they are on patrol — there is no downtime. 

Sergeant Lynn Gaudet of the Bay Roberts RCMP detachment came to the province in 2021 and has watched the number of files consistently increase over time, especially for drug-related issues. During the first half of this year the Trinity-Conception detachments had some 3,900 files. An audience member asked Gaudet if there is a plan to deal with the volume of files. Gaudet said the best solution would be more officers, which she hopes will happen in the fall.

McKinnon said the public can help by advocating for more officers in the area.

“The power in this room is fantastic,” he said. “Government listens to constituents. The more communities are represented in a joint council, the more power you have and the more your voice is heard.” 

Harbour Main MHA Helen Conway-Ottenheimer, who is the PC Party’s Justice Critic, said the police cannot do their job without the involvement of the public, and added the government has to better allocate resources to support the police and ensure they have the necessary people to do their work.

Towards the end of the event, Kerri Abbott, Carbonear’s economic development and tourism officer, asked the RCMP officers what they wanted the main takeaway from the town hall to be. McKinnon replied they want to make people aware of the community aspect of policing and the fact that they can all work together. 

“I think it’s important that you’re aware of what we can do for you, some of our challenges where staffing is really now, and what you can do to advocate for us,” he said.