Latest news with #FirstVoice
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
No public trust without police oversight board, says First Voice
Public confidence in police accountability is down, especially among Indigenous people in Newfoundland and Labrador. That's one of the takeaways from a new survey on policing services in the province, released last month by the Police Transformation Working Group. According to the report, Indigenous respondents said they weren't confident police would properly respond to, and investigate, reports of crime. While many of the civilians from all demographics who responded to the survey said they didn't know how to file a complaint against a police officer, Indigenous respondents have even less confidence in their complaint being treated fairly. The results don't surprise First Voice spokesperson Justin Campbell. The organization's 2022 poll found similarly low levels of trust in police to conduct fair investigations into misconduct complaints against police officers. "We think that this goes beyond just an Indigenous issue, even though Indigenous people tend to be much more affected by it," Campbell told The St. John's Morning Show. The solution, he said, is to create a civilian-led police oversight board, independent from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Campbell believes that could solve many of the issues brought up in the survey. Half of survey respondents said they don't believe police are doing an effective job of keeping communities safe. Only 44 per cent said they're confident police respond to, and investigate, reports of crime, and 43 per cent said they don't know how to file a complaint against a police officer. Most Indigenous respondents, women, and respondents with an income under $50,000 agreed. "Without an ongoing process to gather meaningful community input ... trust in police cannot be rebuilt and confidence in their ability to serve the public cannot be restored," Campbell said. In 2022, First Voice proposed 26 recommendations for the RNC to improve services and boost public trust. Campbell says only six of those recommendations have been met through recently passed legislation. The latest: a Law Enforcement Commission Act which was passed by government, but has yet to be implemented. "This act is very encouraging. It's the right direction. I think there's still more ways to go," he said. First Voice has also been working with the RNC to form an Indigenous Advisory Committee. In June 2023, the formation of the committee was announced. But Campbell says they have yet to actually meet. "Very disappointed in that," Campbell said. "Again, this shows why there is such a significant need for civilian-led oversight of police, because we can only do so much on our own side."
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Justice Department survey shows Newfoundlanders and Labradorians feeling less safe
The results of a recent poll released by Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Department suggests the majority of respondents felt more unsafe now than they did five years ago. The survey of 4,485 people was conducted by the department's police transformation working group, which was formed in 2023 to review policing services in the province. Respondents from 240 towns across the province were split on whether they felt a complaint lodged against a police officer would be treated fairly. Forty-four per cent said they were not confident such a complaint would get fair consideration, while 44 per cent said they were somewhat or very confident it would. "Participants felt that police need to build greater trust with communities," says the report released Monday. "Increased police presence and proactive community policing were suggested as key strategies." Policing has faced considerable scrutiny in Newfoundland and Labrador in recent years, following the sexual assault conviction of former Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer Carl Douglas Snelgrove. He was convicted in 2021 of raping a woman in her apartment after giving her a ride home in his police car. First Voice, a St. John's-based Indigenous collective, has called for a civilian-led police oversight board and it produced an extensive report in 2022 detailing how the province could address systemic policing problems, including racism. The government passed legislation in March to establish a new process to deal with alleged police misconduct. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary shares policing duties in Newfoundland and Labrador with the RCMP. The new report says that of those respondents who disclosed where they lived, about 58 per cent were within the jurisdiction of the constabulary. The constabulary's largest jurisdiction is the northeast region of the Avalon Peninsula, which includes St. John's. The police force also has a detachment in Corner Brook in western Newfoundland, as well Labrador City and Churchill Falls in Labrador. Seventy-three per cent of respondents said they felt less safe now than five years ago, with 67 per cent indicating drug trafficking was a common crime in their community. More than half — 51 per cent — said the police were not effective in maintaining the safety of their communities. The majority of Indigenous respondents said they were not confident that police officers would respond to and investigate reports of crime. The survey also found that those who identified as LGBTQ+ were less likely to agree that police treated their community respectfully. The majority of responses from Indigenous people, women and people from households with annual incomes less than $50,000 said they would not know how to report a complaint against a police officer. "The department has already prioritized some of the suggestions received, such as additional support for front line police officers," Justice Minister John Haggie said in a statement released Monday. The police transformation working group will use the survey information "to improve our police services and enhance public safety in Newfoundland and Labrador," he said.
