RCMP try to strike a balance while dealing with protests

While politicians debate solutions to the Wet’suwet’en protests and public tensions run high, police forces say they are navigating the balance between public safety and keeping the peace.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Mark Fisher is the commander of the Saskatchewan RCMP and he’s also the president of the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police. He explained the role of police always involves keeping up an open dialogue with both sides to assess what is changing and how police should respond to every situation.

“We look at past history in some of these events and if the police jump in on the enforcement side too quickly without attempts at negotiation or discussions to try and resolve the issue in a more peaceful manner, they can sometimes escalate and they become much larger in scale both across the country and on a localized level as well,” Fisher said.

While so far none of the Wet’suwet’en protests have escalated to rail blockades in Saskatchewan, the RCMP and local city police forces here have been dealing with Unifor blockades around Co-op facilities for nearly a month.

Fisher said police always have to measure the impact of disruptions on a local and national level depending on whether it’s a civil dispute like a protest or a labour dispute.

Fisher noted it is always a concern that frustrated members of the public might take matters into their own hands.

“That is part of the reason why it’s important to have people on site from a policing perspective to be there to be eyes on site about what’s happening instead of hearing it third-hand,” he said.

Fisher said maintaining open lines of communication between both parties is also key to keeping the peace and protecting public safety.

When asked where this leaves private businesses dealing with the impacts of blockades, Fisher said they are always open to seek court injunctions, which sometimes compel the police to enforce them.

“We still have to make sure we can take whatever enforcement action we’re going to take safely and making a plan in the case where there is an injunction in place,” Fisher said.

While protests and blockades do put additional pressure on police resources to monitor the situation on a daily basis, Fisher said they aren’t any different than any other call for service.