The week-long beat
There's little time for RCMP to get to know the good people

by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (DEC 09/96) - "It's been a good experience for me," says RCMP Const. Ian Spencer, adding a qualifier -- "It's been busy, really busy, for a three-man detachment."

Spencer, Const. Bob Smith and Corp. Randy McBride are the Kugluktuk RCMP detachment.

Though three officers are assigned to the community, with court appearances, other work-related travel and vacations, only two are in the hamlet a majority of the time.

During those eight to nine months of the year, shifts last a week, with the officer on duty also being on-call 24 hours a day.

An eight-year veteran of the RCMP, Spencer arrived in Kugluktuk a year-and-a-half ago. It was by far the smallest detachment he had worked in.

"It's a unique policing experience," says Spencer. "You learn all aspects of running a detachment, all aspects of police work."

This is Spencer's week on. It's been a quiet Saturday night: a man picked up for breaking back into a home -- to continue a drinking party that had wrapped up earlier in the day -- is complaining loudly that he has been put in the women's cell.

Another two are quietly doing weekend time. Earlier in the day Spencer arrested a man on an outstanding warrant.

He estimates answering calls consumes only about a tenth of his work hours. The rest are spent on paperwork.

"If I weren't so busy I would have more time to enjoy the good people in town," he said. "Walking down the street, people always wave and some invite you in for tea."

The hamlet of 1,200 has a disproportionately high rate of crime.

At the moment, 18 members of the community are doing time in federal penitentiaries. Another 23 are inmates of the Yellowknife Correctional Centre.

That means more than three per cent of the hamlets entire population is currently in jail.

When asked if working solo in a community where almost everyone owns hunting rifles presents any danger, Spencer says, "You get to know who's who in the community quickly -- and if we get a call involving a guy who has been a problem, we'll call the guy who's off duty. It doesn't matter what time, because he knows you'd do the same for him."

In spite of the proliferation of firearms, Spencer said no member of the force has been threatened with a gun since he's been there.

"Most of the guns within homes are safely stored -- people are good about keeping the ammunition separated from the weapons."

But the on-call is a grind, on Spencer and his family -- his wife Cynthia who is a nurse, and their two young children.

Because of the long hours and the weekly grind, Spencer will be transferring to Inuvik when his two-year term is up.

At about the same time, the Kugluktuk force will be increased by another member, a change Spencer says "will make a huge difference."