Nunavik Police Service aims to reinvent itself with funding increase

Hamilton Spectator

30-05-2025

The Nunavik Police Service hopes to reinvent the way it serves the region after receiving a five-fold increase in its funding through an agreement between Kativik Regional Government and the Quebec and federal governments.
The deal provides Nunavik police with $562 million to carry out its operations, spread over a five-year period from 2024 to 2029. That dwarfs the previous agreement, signed in 2018 and in effect until 2023, which totalled $115 million.
'Historical,' is how police Chief Jean-Pierre Larose described April's renewal of the Agreement on the Provision of Policing Services in the Kativik Region, during a French interview at his Kuujjuaq office on Wednesday.
'We have the means for our ambitions now,' he said.
He said the funding increase is due to a detailed five-year plan Nunavik police presented to Quebec's public security ministry, which wants to reform the Nunavik Police Service and turn its focus to community policing.
Over the past seven months, two people have died during incidents involving Nunavik police officers: Joshua Papigatuk, of Salluit, in November, and another man in Kangiqsualujjuaq in May.
Both cases are being investigated by Quebec's police public watchdog, the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes.
'It is about growing closer and gaining the trust of Inuit by any means possible,' Larose said of community policing, adding he's open to suggestions from people in the Nunavik communities.
'That would be perfect, because I admit that I am starting to run out of ideas myself,' he said. 'I need the population to help us as well.'
One significant upgrade will be a jump to 32 investigators for the service's mixed investigation team, which tackles drug smuggling and contraband. That's twice the current number of investigators.
The Hudson and Ungava coast areas will each now have teams of 16 investigators, to improve efficiency and capacity throughout the region.
Larose also wants to incorporate lieutenants — ideally, one in every village — to ensure the growing number of officers coming into the region are well structured and supervised.
By 2029, he said, Nunavik Police Service will have over 250 officers compared to the 150 working now.
'I want them to be on the road, supervise the calls, supervise police officers during their interventions,' he said of the lieutenants, who will be picked from the current pool of Nunavik officers.
Larose said the roughly 65 new officers who arrived within the past year and a half average 27 or 28 years in age and may lack experience.
'I am fully aware of that, so it is even more important to have a system of coaching and supervision in place,' he said.
Relaunch
ing the cadet program to recruit Inuit youth who would accompany officers during their outreach work, is also a priority for Larose.
He believes that — alongside a more rigorous cultural introduction program to prepare incoming officers — will improve communication between the communities and the police.
Larose wants incoming officers to spend days with community members to experience Inuit life and make stronger connections.
All officers will also take a communication tactics course in de-escalating incidents, to help them defuse situations especially when mental health issues are involved.
The funding increase will also allow Nunavik police to explore using alternative non-lethal weapons.
Larose points out that in both recent cases where a police altercation ended in the death of a civilian, the conducted energy weapon, also known as a stun gun, was ineffective.
'This makes me question, it tells me that we should use other options where in some situations a rubber projectile weapon could be more beneficial,' he said.