RCMP commander expresses support for First Nations policing

The commander of the Saskatchewan RCMP said she has spoken with Indigenous leaders about a new First Nations police service in the province, and she thinks it’s an outstanding opportunity for the two groups to work together.

“As they move in that direction, we are certainly here to support them,” Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told Gormley on Friday.

Currently, there’s only one Indigenous police service in the province, the File Hills Police Service. It was launched in 2002 to serve five southern Saskatchewan First Nations.

Following the stabbing deaths of 10 people on the James Smith Cree Nation and in Weldon over the Labour Day long weekend, the possibility of adding more Indigenous police forces to Saskatchewan has been raised repeatedly.

While the RCMP and governments at both the federal and provincial levels have expressed support for the concept, Bobby Cameron, chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, said more help is needed.

Cameron said it’s essential to “get the funding directly to the First Nations, so they can support and create and develop these safety measures for their First Nation people on reserve.”

Cameron said he and other leaders across Canada are working to create a national First Nations Police Association.

“The work is still ongoing,” Cameron said. “The federal government has committed verbally and in writing that policing is an essential service.”

Right now, Blackmore said, the RCMP is trying to recruit more Indigenous police officers, who could help set up self-administered policing on First Nations in Saskatchewan.

“Instead of trying to start a police force with individuals who have no experience, these individuals would bring that experience to those communities,” Blackmore said.

At this point, there’s no timeline or funding commitment for a provincial Indigenous police service, or a national First Nations Police Association.