first nations community declares state of emergency over lack of policing
“i can’t stress enough the immensity of the problem we’re facing,” chief henry rodgers said thursday.
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faced with what it describes as a “rising safety crisis” and an alarming increase in crime and illegal drug sales, a first nations community in quebec is sounding the alarm about a lack of policing on its territory. the long point first nation, about half of whose members live in winneway in the abitibi-témiscamingue region, declared a state of emergency over the situation this week.
blaming an insufficient sûreté du québec presence and response for the crisis, the community is calling for an emergency meeting with quebec’s public security minister to address its concerns.
“i can’t stress enough the immensity of the problem we’re facing,” chief henry rodgers said in an interview. “we want to feel safe in our community. but when you don’t have the proper police service, it makes it very difficult to do so.”
winneway has been policed by the sûreté du québec since 2006, when the local police force was abolished because of a lack of funding. with the nearest sq detachment about 90 minutes away, the community has long voiced concerns about slow response times and too few patrols on its territory.
in 2021, the provincial government announced it would create a “rapid response team” to develop a local police force to serve the community. until that happens, two neighbouring indigenous police forces were recruited to help police the area under the sûreté du québec’s supervision.
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however, rodgers said, part of the issue lies in how, under the agreement, police officers from the neighbouring forces can’t patrol in winneway without being accompanied by sq officers.
rodgers said a recent spike in drug dealing and violence “in all its forms” has now compounded the problem, with members reaching a breaking point after several incidents last weekend.
videos shared by the local council show an excavator burning after being set on fire, a truck speeding down a quiet street as people scream and hang from its cargo box, and a group of youths fighting at night. council sent the videos to the provincial government to stress the urgency to act, rodgers said.
in a joint statement sent to the gazette, the offices of quebec public security minister françois bonnardel and indigenous affairs minister ian lafrenière said they are in contact with the community and looking into the issue.
“the situation is concerning and we are monitoring it closely,” the statement said, noting the 2021 agreement on policing in the area. “we have confidence in the police work being done.”
the sûreté du québec, for its part, acknowledged the community’s concerns, but denied any allegations of failing at its role as a police force.
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among other efforts, the provincial police force said it holds weekly joint patrols with the two neighbouring departments and noted it has an indigenous liaison officer who works closely with the community.
it also said recent police call sheets and internal statistics do not point to a notable increase in crime on the territory.
meanwhile, as the community continues to call for its own police force, the council took steps to address the situation on its own this week. they include organizing a march to denounce criminal activity and establishing a volunteer night patrol to enhance people’s sense of security.
“we took the approach that we would do something ourselves,” rodgers said, criticizing the police response in the community. “the safety of our youth and elders — of all band members — is a prime concern.”
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