NUNAVUT - The new commander of Nunavut's RCMP wants to introduce new programs and restore old ones to adapt to the territory's unique cultural and physical conditions.

Nunavut's new RCMP commander Supt. Steve McVarnock, right, with his predecessor C/Supt. Marty Cheliak. - Gabriel Zarate/NNSL photo

Superintendent Steve McVarnock hopes to establish stronger relationships between Nunavut's communities and the RCMP detachments that police them.

"We're looking at the revitalization of what was once known as the special constable program here," said McVarnock. "That is, to bring in people who might not want to be a regular member and the requirements and standards are designed for whatever function or duties that will be expected of them in a community. The key here is cultural and linguistic capacity."

McVarnock said he had a meeting in Ottawa on Aug. 13 to discuss the particulars of restoring the special constables nationwide, with the pilot likely to be held in Nunavut.

Another major change McVarnock hopes to see is to increase the length of an RCMP member's tour of duty in Nunavut. Right now when a member moves to Nunavut they stay for a two-year tour.

"That fills a short-term need but also creates a longer-term challenge in that you lose half of your resources every year. So your business continuity is disrupted in a big way," McVarnock said.

McVarnock wouldn't say what he wants to increase the tour to, but said he was pushing for the organization to provide better financial incentives for members who come to Nunavut for longer periods. That would be especially productive in communities where the detachments haven't had a permanent member for years, in some cases.

"If some communities are harder to staff, for whatever reason, we end up with small stints of relief members," he explained. "And depending on the makeup of those members sometimes it's hard to create that bond that's needed to enhance relations (between RCMP and the community)."

In February the 130-member V Division had 38 unfilled positions, which brought many short-term members from the south to serve as short term relief in vacant posts. As of mid-July there were 16 vacancies. By August there will be only four.

Another consequence of the high turnover is the constant loss of qualified personnel. For example, at the moment the division is almost without an Emergency Response Team. ERT-trained members are the ones who do tactical responses such as armed standoffs and hostage situations. When an emergency happens in a community, six ERT members load up onto the RCMP Pilatus aircraft and provide the heavy backup to the detachment RCMP in the community. As of July 2009 there is only one ERT-trained member in Nunavut. Two Iqaluit RCMP will receive ERT-training this fall, with the understanding that they'll stay in Nunavut beyond the minimum two-year tour.

To make up for Nunavut's ERT shortage, Iqaluit is going to be the site of a pilot course in containment starting Sept. 7. This ten-day course will train officers how to manage emergency situations which need an ERT team but there isn't one available yet.

"A containment course is a semi-tactical response, basically protecting a situation from de-escalating further," McVarnock explained. "You hold the fort until the ERT has arrived. We're going to be the first ones to get this new, revised course."

The commander also hopes to establish a plainclothes crime prevention unit based in Iqaluit, which would carry out short-term operations specifically targeting whatever problems a given community is having, such as bootlegging or drugs.

"The key is, it's short-term, it's relevant to the immediate area, and it takes that pressure off of the uniform resources," McVarnock said. "As you know the uniform numbers, they have enough now with the current benefits, they just have enough to get the job done on a reactive basis. The challenge is getting them co-ordinated enough to do proactive type of work. This crime reduction unit would be an answer to that problem."