NNSL (DEC 30/96) - Lawyers, police and other members of the legal community from across the country gathered in Yellowknife recently to plan the first phase of a project that focuses on solving problems outside of the courtroom.

Announced earlier this month, funding for the Aboriginal Justice Strategy will provide $6.7 million in the first year and $7.8 million in each of the following four years, for a total of $39 million.

Judge David Arnot of the federal Department of Justice said the initiative will provide aboriginal people with community-based justice.

"We want to be able to work with the communities and the GNWT to look at ways of shifting the paradigm of justice," he said.

Sgt. Tom Steggles of the NWT community policing division said that these ideas will work well in the North.

"Our present system is like a revolving door," he said. "We're putting a lot of people through, but this focus on healing will certainly do a lot more."

Beginning in 1997, the RCMP will send residents to Regina for training. Three officers and two other Northern residents will attend this first session.

They in turn will train other residents of Northern communities who want an aboriginal policing system.

"I'm sure it will snowball," he said. "It's going to be very informal. We're open to change -- ours isn't the greatest system."

The Aboriginal Justice Initiative began in 1991, and was renewed for five more years in March, 1996.