Urban Native police unit helps bridge the cultural gap

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Representatives of Toronto's Native community met with Metro Police Chief David Boothby in September to discuss the role of the police in the city's Aboriginal community.

The meeting was planned by the Aboriginal Peace Keeping Unit, the only urban Native police force in Canada. It gives city Natives the chance to deal with their own people when problems arise.

The talk took place at First Nations House, a support centre at the University of Toronto. The group talked about drug and alcohol abuse and housing problems, and searched for ways to get more police help.

"Chief Boothby comes to us as a friend," said renowned Elder Lillian McGregor. "And the Aboriginal Peace Keeping Unit is here and we need them. We can rely on them." For the Native policing team, the day could only spell success.

"It went very well," said Officer Stephen Paquette, who has been with the unit for several months. "We got some excellent feedback."

Since it was set up in 1989, the unit has created a real network in the Native community. It deals with all the agencies and arranges workshops, lectures and meetings.

The officers are fully trained and uniformed, but they usually wear casual clothes at the office.

"We're trying to make it very relaxed," said Officer Rose Richardson, who heads the unit.

The office is at police headquarters downtown, but it's at the back of the first floor, so people can enter through the back and avoid the main doors. That's important, since many of the city's 70,000 Native people mistrust the police, Paquette said.

He and other officers are always ready to talk, make a referral, or even hand out sleeping bags to the homeless. They try to encourage Native people to use the police when needed.

"What we're trying to do, ideally, is educate the Aboriginal community as to how the police work so they feel more comfortable."

He recalled one Native woman who was too afraid to visit the police station to report her stolen purse. He told her she could report it over the phone, without dealing with an officer in person.

"So I've now educated that one person on how the police department can work with you," he said. He also visits Toronto's 27 Native agencies to let the staff and clients know the police are not a threat.

But just as Natives have to learn more about the police, the police must learn more about Native traditions, since this is often how conflicts are caused. Paquette said officers sometimes rip open and search through medicine pouches, or mistake cedar and sweetgrass for illegal drugs.

"Another thing I've witnessed is some Natives have given their Indian names, and the officers didn't understand that they weren't trying to be a smart-ass. It's just a matter of being traditional.

"It's not that people are deliberately being insensitive. It's just that they're unaware. So we're trying to do as much training as we can."

He also invites officers to call the unit if they don't know how to deal with a situation. The unit now has only three officers, and they get over 300 calls each month from the local Native population, other officers and agencies. It's hectic at the office, and Paquette admits they need more people.

That's why the unit recently formed a recruitment advisory board to attract young people to the police force. One of the new board members is Frances Sanderson. She's often a front line counsellor for people arriving in the city, and she already has ideas to bring to the board.

"I want to see them [the unit] go where the kids are. They should set up display boothes at schools which have Native students, and attend career days."

There are now 29 uniformed Native police officers on Toronto's force, but none have applied to work with the Aboriginal unit.

Perhaps because it's a different type of policing. Paquette works long hours as a mentor, counsellor, public speaker, recruiter, campaigner and teacher.

He and his colleagues do everything from handing out fridge magnets to organizing sexual asault workshops. But they never lose sight of the ultimate goal. They want to make sure the next young Native person who steps off a bus in Toronto knows a Native officer is ready to help.