Latest news with #RoyalNewfoundlandConstabulary
CBC
6 hours ago
- General
- CBC
7-year-old boy in critical condition after being struck by SUV in St. John's
A seven-year-old boy is in critical condition after being hit by a vehicle while riding a bicycle in St. John's on Monday evening. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says officers responded a collision around 6:45 p.m. N.T. in the Montague Street and Watson Street area. Police say the boy was hit and seriously injured by an SUV. Emergency crews took him to the hospital, where he is in critical condition. In a news release, the RNC said the driver of the SUV, who was travelling on Montague Street, remained at the scene. The RNC is asking the public for information or video footage from the area around the time of the collision.
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
St. John's crews battle fire at attached homes in Blackwood Place
Crews from multiple fire departments battled a fire in a residential area in St. John's on Saturday morning. Police were also at the scene of the fire at Blackwood Place off Higgin's Line, where flames were visible from the sidewalk as they burned through two attached townhouses. Ed Sears, platoon commander with the St. John's Regional Fire Department (SJRFD), said the fire seemed to have started outside the building. A neighbour saw the flames and banged on a door to warn residents, who were inside with no idea their homes were ablaze. Sears said all residents got out safely. Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers will remain on the scene. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. St. John's and the surrounding area are currently under an open-fire ban due to the high to extreme forest fire danger warning. That means no open fires, charcoal barbecues, or outdoor wood-burning appliances are allowed.
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.
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
RNC warn of rising illegal ATV use
Numerous incidents of destroyed property and dangerous use of off-road vehicles prompted the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary to speak out on Monday. They want parents to step up and make sure new drivers operate safely.
CTV News
26-05-2025
- CTV News
Are police held to account? Survey shows Newfoundlanders and Labradorians aren't sure
A Royal Newfoundland Constabulary police car is shown in St. John's in a June 2020 photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie ST. JOHN'S — A new poll released by Newfoundland and Labrador's Justice Department suggests the majority of respondents feel more unsafe now than they did five years ago. The numbers were based on a survey of 4,485 people in more than 240 towns across the province. Seventy-three per cent of respondents said they felt less safe now than five years ago, with 67 per cent believing drug trafficking was a common crime in their community. Fifty-one per cent said the police were not effective at keeping their communities safe. Meanwhile, respondents 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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2025. The Canadian Press
