NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche is tired of hearing excuses about why there are no police officers permanently stationed in two of the NWT's smaller communities.

Kevin Menicoche: "Even residents in our small communities deserve the full attention of public safety." -

"Even residents in our small communities deserve the full attention of public safety," said Menicoche during a sitting of the legislative assembly on Oct. 29.

Menicoche was responding to comments from Justice Minister David Ramsay, who stated early last week that plans to permanently station an RCMP detachment in Wrigley and Gameti are being put on hold "indefinitely."

"As MLA for Nahendeh and the community of Wrigley, this is shocking news for me and my constituents," said Menicoche. "I am utterly disappointed with the fact that this has happened."

Menicoche pointed out that RCMP issued a statement in 2007 promising they would be building a detachment in Wrigley by 2011. However, in 2010, they decided to put it off for another three years.

"Now, they have decided to put the opening of this detachment off indefinitely. Why do the people in my constituency have to wait this long, only to have someone tell them that it isn't going to happen?" Menicoche asked.

According to Ramsay, plans for a permanent police presence in the two communities were based on an agreement with the federal government, which stipulated that it would pay for 70 per cent of the capital costs of establishing a force there.

That agreement, however, expired in 2012. Under a new agreement signed by former Justice Minister Glen Abernethy, the GNWT would now have to cover 70 per cent of the estimated $11 to $13 million cost of setting up a detachment in either of those communities.

"A new detachment does come with a lofty price tag," said Ramsay in response. "That's why with the resources that we do have, we have to try to find a way of moving forward with improving the level of service."

There were 104 calls for RCMP assistance made in Wrigley in 2012, 41 of which were for assaults.

"For a population of 133 people, this is very high," stated Menicoche. "This community needs a permanent RCMP presence. Weekly visits are important, but not enough to ensure the safety of residents."

Menicoche added that there has not been a permanent nurse stationed in Wrigley ever since an alleged assault in the early 2000s led the GNWT to remove the position over concerns for security.

Lyda Fuller, director of the YWCA in Yellowknife, said the lack of a police presence in small communities leaves women who are victims of domestic violence vulnerable to more attacks.

"There is real potential for danger and police help may be hours away," stated Fuller in a news release.

Fuller said four women were murdered in the NWT between December 2012 and December 2013 in domestic violence circumstances. Fuller pointed in particular to the case of Alice Black, who was killed in Gameti in 2009.

"I believe that having police there would have made a difference for Alice. And the fact is, this kind of violence could happen again," she said.

There are currently 11 communities in the NWT that do not have RCMP officers stationed in them. Communities that do not have a permanent police presence have an arrangement with nearby detachments, who visit to do patrols on a regular basis.

The frequency of the visits varies from community to community.

Calls for service in communities without RCMP in 2012

Source: RCMP 'G' Division/NWT Bureau of Statistics

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