Pelly Bay (July 09/01) - RCMP from Inuvik to Iqaluit are finding it difficult to cover their beats. A shortage of officers and funds has left some detachments empty, forcing Canada's national police force to beg the territorial governments for help.

Not only is help not always just around the corner, but sometimes it's literally hundreds of kilometres away.

That's the reality the Kitikmeot community of Kugaaruk now faces.

When RCMP Cpl. Darren Malcolm was transferred from the community more than two weeks ago, another officer was lined up to take his spot. When that officer was reassigned, the community was left without any policing services.

In the case of an emergency, officers from Cambridge Bay will be flown into Kugaaruk. That worries the hamlet's senior administrator, Quinn Taggart.

"I'm afraid something bad is going to come up," said Taggart. "It's just going to go from bad to worse," he said.

While alcohol possession is prohibited in Kugaaruk, Taggart said the community faces frequent liquor infractions and crime associated with drinking. The hamlet's community constable and bylaw officer now must deal with those crimes.

That means it falls to Taggart to decide if the situation is safe enough for the hamlet employees to handle.

"I have to balance the safety of the employees against the wellness of the community," he said.

Taggart said he is concerned about the response time of the Cambridge Bay members and said it was likely that a situation would come to a head long before the police landed in the community. More than 600 kilometres separates the two hamlets.

"By the time they get on a plane and get in here, it's all over. It's probably going to be over before they even get on a plane," said Taggart.

Sgt. Gary Peck heads up the detachment in Cambridge Bay. He said an agreement with Adlair Aviation regarding the use of their Lear jet means police can fly the distance in 45 minutes.

"That's how we'd handle it," said Peck.

Once stationed in Kugaaruk, Peck also said strong leadership and the traditional close-knit nature of the community made for a lower than average crime rate.

"The crime rate there compared to the rest of Nunavut is very low," he said.

Staff Sgt. Mark Hennigar oversees the outlying RCMP detachments in Nunavut. He said the empty detachment was created by a lack of resources -- specifically, a shortage of police officers -- and that they were working to address the situation.

"As soon as we have the resources available to staff it, we will do that," said Hennigar. "At this point, we don't. We do as best as we can."

Hennigar could not say when they would have a member posted to the community and he refused to speculate on whether or not the absence of RCMP would result in an increase in crime.