Aboriginal police services need adequate funding

The young female police officer doesn't get it.
"I graduated from OPC (Ontario Police College) right beside those OPP officers," she says.
"I have the exact same training, I do the exact same job, why can I not have the exact same supplies and detachment and equipment that will keep me safe and the community safe?"
Constable Robin Bannon is with the Mishkeegogamang First Nation detachment in Northwestern Ontario. She's one of six officers in a community of 900 people who work out of a building that's pretty good by the standards of the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, but little more than a shack compared to the OPP detachment in Pickle Lake, 20 kilometres to the south.
There, seven officers police a township of 375 out of a building that has a number of amenities not available to their NAPS counterparts, including video surveillance in the cells, separate rooms for interviews, fingerprinting, fitness, storage and male and female showers.
"To me it just doesn't make sense that we have triple the population and less manpower," Bannon says on a documentary produced and directed by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Roseanne Archibald. (The video, entitled A Sacred Calling, can be viewed at http://www.nan.on.ca/article/nishnawbe-aski-police-service-a-sacred-call...)
Bannon's frustration was articulated by Aboriginal leaders across Ontario last month after the cells in the Kasabonika Lake NAPS detachment had to be closed and, a few days later in Marten Falls, a fire destroyed the seniors' home where an officer was living, resulting in his reassignment and leaving the community without policing.
NAPS ­ which covers an area the size of France, consisting of 2/3 of Ontario's land mass - has been trying to address infrastructure problems with federal and provincial representatives since it was formed in 1994, says NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy. Only one of 35 NAPS detachments - Moose Factory - meets the requirements of the national building code for police facilities.
'"First Nations have no place to put officers so they are put in motels and other unsuitable arrangements. In one community, we have two officers sharing a room so small there is only one bed and they have to take turns sleeping in it."
As for the situation in Kasabonika Lake, prisoners are being flown to Sioux Lookout at a cost to NAPS of $8,000-$10,000 a trip, less than a monthly lease payment on a new detachment building.
Regional Chief Angus Toulouse echoed Beardy's concerns.
"Both communities and police officers are left at risk by chronic underfunding of First Nations police forces," he said.
Both leaders recalled the tragic deaths in 2005 of Ricardo Wesley and Jamie Goodwin, who were trapped in their cells when a fire broke out in the Kashechewan detachment. A NAPS officer was badly burned trying to rescue the two 20-year-olds (an inquest has been called into their deaths, although no date has yet been set).
"I cannot emphasize strongly enough the decrepit and unsafe conditions that far too many of our police detachments are in," Toulouse said. "Will it take more people to die before we get a response from the federal and provincial governments?"
Toulouse noted that the Ipperwash Commission called for federal legislative reform to enshrine First Nations police forces as essential services within their communities. Presently, the federal government regards them as "enhancements" to the provincial force.
Commissioner Sidney Linden also called for increased capital and operational funding for First Nations police services, to be secured by renewable five-year agreements between federal, provincial and First Nation governments.
But instead, a funding cap has been imposed. "We learned that in January when federal negotiators said there would be no increase in the police services budget on 2008-2009," said Nathan Wright, justice co-ordinator for Chiefs of Ontario.
Who's responsible?
Provincially, it's Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartollucci who funds 48 per cent of First Nations policing . Ministry spokesperson Anthony Brown said "Ontario continues to work with the federal government to make investements towards addressing infrastructure needs of First Nations."
And Brown added: "We are committed to ensuring that First Nations police services have all of the resources that they need not only to do their jobs effectively but to ensure adequate working conditions for their officers."
Federally, Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, who funds 52 per cent of the costs, is similarly upbeat.
He told the House of Commons Feb. 5 that "there are a number of working arrangements in place to make sure that proper policing is there. The various First Nations groups apply for and work in a collaborative way to establish what levels of policing they would like and what levels can be delivered.
"This particular situation is one that is of concern to us and one that is being looked at via a variety of people at a number of levels. We want to make sure that things that they ask for and the things that they contracted for are in fact delivered, Mr. Speaker."
His spokesperson Melisa Leclerc did not respond to questions on the funding cap, and whether Day is preparing to give First Nations forces the status of essential services and provide increased funding along the lines recommended by Linden.
In an email, she noted that "the First Nations Policing Program does not cover major infrastructure. The federal government provides assistance to First Nations communities for four categories of expenditures for existing policing facilities: repairs and restorations, operational
fit-ups, modular facilities, and fair and reasonable rent, all cost-shared with provinces."
None of which seems to figure in the reality being lived by Bannon and her fellow officers. They can only hope Stockwell Day and Rick Bartollucci check out the video.