RADILIH KOE'/FORT GOOD HOPE
Inside the RCMP detachment in Fort Good Hope there are two white boards hanging side-by-side. One has a list of upcoming community events, including an upcoming hockey skills competition, and a handgames tournament planned for the following weekend.
Joe Grandjambe, who sits on the territory's police advisory board as the representative for the Sahtu, says improved relationships between RCMP and the community in recent years have helped combat bootlegging. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
The other board is a list of the 32 people in the community that have driving bans running anywhere from between 30 days and 10 years, most of which are for alcohol-related offences such as driving while under the influence.
Although it might seem odd to have the two lists hanging side by side, the seemingly unrelated issues underscore the two-pronged approach the RCMP has taken to fighting bootlegging in the community.
On the one hand the detachment is doing what it is expected to do: keep track of criminal activity in the community. However, it is also reaching out to the community to prevent youth in particular from falling into a life of crime.
Fort Good Hope is one of nine restricted communities in the Northwest Territories that limit the amount of alcohol a resident can bring into the hamlet each time they come back.
The restriction allows a resident to bring in either 1,140 ml of spirits, 24 355-ml containers of beer or two 750-ml containers of wine at any one time. Although there is no liquor store, there is no shortage of booze coming in due to a few bootleggers who are willing to flaunt the law to make some money. According to RCMP, a mickey of vodka can go for as much as $60, while a 40-ounce bottle can sell for as much as $150. With the maximum penalty for being over one's ration set at $500 fine and no more than 30 days in jail under the Fort Good Hope liquor regulations, the opportunity for profit outweighs the punishment.
The alcohol is brought into the community a number of ways depending on the season. In the summer, it is smuggled via boat along the Mackenzie River. As the water freezes over in the fall, the only way in and out of the community, other than by plane, is along the winter road, which begins at Wrigley before passing through Norman Wells where the Sahtu region's only liquor store is located.
RCMP Const. James Stanviloff reckons approximately 90 per cent of his detachment's calls for service are related to alcohol.
"There aren't many calls we go to where there isn't alcohol involved," says Stanviloff.
The day Stanviloff arrived in Fort Good Hope from Kelowna, B.C. last September, the detachment received a tip that a shipment of illegal booze would be coming in. To an officer who was accustomed to doing major drug busts in lower mainland B.C for the past seven years, the idea of chasing down bootleggers seemed like something from a bygone time.
While the call seemed strange to him at first, after RCMP confiscated 232 bottles of vodka from two boats destined for the community in the span of 12 hours, he realized how much of an impact taking illegal booze off the street could have.
"Man, did that make for a nice welcome to the town," he said. "Our calls to service were almost non-existent for a while."
Alcohol's devastating impact was underscored by the tragic deaths of two young girls in the past two years. In March 2014, Charlotte Lafferty, a 17-year-old mother of three, was beaten to death on the streets of Fort Good Hope. A 17-year-old male youth was charged with first-degree murder in relation to her death, in which alcohol was reportedly a factor.
A year earlier, a 14-year-old girl's body was found in the snow with a blood-alcohol content two times the legal driving limit two days after she was last seen drinking with a friend.
Greg Laboucan, the 35-year-old chief of Fort Good Hope who has given up drinking alcohol until his term is up, says he watched the 14-year-old girl grow up.
"It's definitely hard to see how it impacts the families and the kids," says Laboucan.
The tragic effects that alcohol can have on youth is one of the reasons why RCMP have been making such an effort to reach out to youth in the community. As class comes to an end Feb. 20 three officers from the detachment make their way over to the Chief T'Selehye School gym to play floor hockey with the students.
Stanviloff, Const. Mike Brown and Const. Brad Savage play for about 45 minutes before around 15 students decide they want to play basketball. During the game, principal Lee Wood drops in.
"It's just great to see this happening every week," he says.
On the way back to the station, Stanviloff says the after school get-together was not a one-off. The officers have taken it upon themselves to coach the local hockey team while Savage has been coaching the community's volleyball teams since arriving last summer.
"The fact is our number one job is policing," said Stanviloff.
"But when I can't go (to play with the students) because we're so busy it bothers me."
The relationship between the community and police hasn't always been good. Joe Grandjambe, who sits on the territory's police advisory board as the representative for the Sahtu, characterized relations in previous years as "us vs. them."
"They stayed in their corner and we stayed in our corner," said Grandjambe. "That was way back when the RCMP thought they were God."
About 20 years ago tensions boiled over after RCMP tried to prevent community members from recovering the body of a person who had drowned in the Mackenzie River.
"From that day on we started looking for solutions," said Grandjambe. "We have to live in the same small community so I kept pushing and pushing and tried to find a way."
Laboucan says a great deal of credit for the improved relationships can be given to Sgt. Kent Pyke, the previous commander of the RCMP detachment who is now based in Inuvik. When Pyke came to Fort Good Hope he insisted officers become involved in the community.
Before heading out for a Friday night patrol, Stanviloff and Savage stop by the regular bingo/poker night at the community hall. The officers have taken an active role in organizing bingo nights, which are a huge hit where members of the community feel safe.
After checking in on bingo night, Stanviloff and Savage head back to the detachment where Brown is doing some paper work. Unlike big cities where Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights for police, the amount of criminal activity in Fort Good Hope fluctuates from week to week, depending on how much alcohol is available.
"It comes in waves," says Stanviloff.
The night before the cells were full with five people arrested for alcohol-related offences. Based on the amount of activity from the previous day, they are expecting another busy night.
"I guarantee we're going to have someone in cells tonight," says Savage.
As Stanviloff heads to the winter road after 9 p.m., he points out what is already obvious - trying to catch bootleggers can be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.
"It's hit or miss," says Stanviloff. "We're trying to catch them and they're trying not to get caught."
Stanviloff periodically flips on his lights whenever a vehicle passes by. He chats up the drivers he's pulled over heading toward Norman Wells.
Making his way further south, Stanviloff sees a set of headlights appear in the distance. When the Ford Ranger pick-up truck gets closer he flips his lights on. Following some initial questions, Stanviloff makes his way over to the passenger side where he notices that someone has an open can of beer.
Although he was prepared to believe the men when they said they did not have more liquor than their permitted ration, the open can gives him enough reason to search the vehicle. It doesn't turn up any illicit booze and in the end the men are let off with a warning regarding the open beer can.
Stanviloff drives around until about 1 a.m. before heading back to the detachment to check in on the one person they have in cells. The woman who was stumbling around earlier has now been joined by her boyfriend who also happens to be the person who has the 10-year driving ban. According to Savage, who picked up the man, he had drunk a 40-ounce bottle of vodka and another mickey and was arrested for refusing to go home after causing a disturbance.
Although the RCMP have not picked up any bootleggers, Stanviloff points out that you can't catch anyone if you're not out looking.
"You never know what you're going to run into, but if you don't have your hook in the water you're not going to catch any fish."
In January, the detachment executed its first ever warrant for a bootlegging operation thanks to a tip from the public. The bust yielded 55 mickeys and charges being laid against several people.
While 55 mickeys might not seem like a lot, Savage reckons that for every three mickeys RCMP take off the street they receive one less call for service.
One person who has given tips to the police in the past said she does it because they see how much damage it is doing. But sticking one's neck out is not without consequences. Several years ago she shared some information with the RCMP about someone who was bootlegging.
"The next thing we knew - bang! Our windows were smashed," said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous over concerns for her safety.
Although there is a risk of retribution the person says it is worth fighting to keep booze of the streets.
"All the corruption that happens in the world today, one day it will be exposed."
In the end, RCMP, Laboucan and Grandjambe all agree that they will never be able to eradicate bootlegging completely.
Laboucan adds that more addictions programming needs to be provided in the community. In the meantime, however, the collaborative efforts of the RCMP, community members and the local government are a step in the right direction.
Since the big bust on the river last summer, the RCMP have taken 545 bottles off the streets. While Laboucan knows the community is fighting an uphill battle, he says it is heading in the right direction. When asked if there is hope in the fight against bootlegging, Laboucan remains upbeat.
"There is defintely
hope," he says. "There
is always hope."
