Pilot Project To Improve Aboriginal-Police Relations Launches In PG

By Michelle Cyr-Whiting

Prince George, B.C. -  It’s the start of a long night for the Vice-Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC)...

Brooke McNabb is doing an overnight ride-along with the RCMP in Prince George.  McNabb is in the city to launch a CPC pilot project involving six aboriginal friendship centres across the country.

He’s been meeting with members of the Native Friendship Centre and the local RCMP -- both in a group-setting and separately.  "It’s really about relationship-building," says the CPC Vice-Chair.

"And, certainly, the feedback I’ve received from both the RCMP and the Friendship Centre is they’re very positive about this and it’s an opportunity for them to meet directly with each other to discuss issues of mutual concern."

McNabb adds, "So it’s about a dialogue, it’s about building trust within these relationships, and building a community that has better policing."

He says the main purpose of the pilot project is to make members of the aboriginal community aware that there is a process in place where they can bring complaints about the conduct of police officers -- they can go directly to the detachment or, if they’re not comfortable with that, they can go to the CPC.

From here, McNabb will travel to Whitehorse, Yellowknife, Cold Lake, Alberta, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador.  He says the project will be evaluated after one year and, if it’s deemed worthwhile by all parties, it may be extended and expanded.

As for tonight’s ride-along, McNabb says, "It gives me an opportunity to spend some time in the local community, also to see it from the policing perspective.  I always find that to be very helpful."

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