Nova Scotia
We need your help to keep the Cumberland RCMP!
Last month, Cumberland County City Council announced they will soon be accepting proposals for a potential new police service. This comes after the Police Services Review Committee finalized its public consultation report, which offered two options to move forward with the County’s police services. Unfortunately, Council selected the most disruptive and typically expensive option: to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for policing, which could result in the selection of a new policing service for the region.
Our Members believe in continually adapting services to meet their community’s evolving public safety needs, including Cumberland County. The report to Counci and public feedback indicated that any police service in Cumberland must provide:
- Reduced response times in emergency situations
- Increased police presence
- Increased public reporting on crime reduction
- Provide fair and equal treatment for all citizens
Cumberland RCMP have been working to continue to evolve and improve on all aspects of police service. Investment and improvement in RCMP service is less costly and disruptive, with far more certainty, than transitioning to a new police service which would cost more and not significantly improve public safety.
The Council Review Committee did not look in-depth at services currently provided by the Cumberland RCMP, who will take the opportunity to showcase their extensive policing services and programs.
You can take action today by sharing your support for our RCMP Members serving in Cumberland County. Click here to sign and send a letter to Cumberland County Council telling them you want to keep your highly specialized RCMP Members in the community they proudly serve.
By sending a letter today, you will help inform council about the positive impact RCMP Members have on the community each and every day across the County.
To learn more about the efforts of the RCMP in Cumberland County, read the National Police Federation’s full submission to the police services committee and visit our website: www.ournsrcmp.ca/cumberland.
Thank you for your continued support, together we will keep the RCMP in Cumberland Country!
2022 Polling Results
Earlier this year, we surveyed Nova Scotians across the province to learn what they think about policing in their community. Here’s what they found:
- 79% of Nova Scotians served by the RCMP are satisfied with the police service they receive.
- Only 13% of Nova Scotians would prefer the RCMP to have less control over local policing.
- 66% of Nova Scotians agrees that they benefit from the federal contribution of 30% of the cost of RCMP policing.
- 74% of Nova Scotians think policing in Nova Scotia needs to be better coordinated among various police organizations.
Members’ Actions at Onslow Fire Hall
Following is a statement from Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, regarding Member testimony from today’s Mass Casualty Commission proceedings.
“Today’s testimony regarding the events that took place at the Onslow Fire Hall clearly demonstrates that Members validly believed that the individual outside the Fire Hall, wearing a reflective vest and standing beside a marked police vehicle, was the perpetrator. They acted appropriately and in accordance with their duty to try to stop the threat.
Today’s testimony is best contextualized with reference to an expert and independent Use of Force Report requested by investigators from Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT). Joel A. Johnston’s report identifies that both officers feared imminent death or grievous bodily harm to others and themselves, and believed they had to use lethal force to stop the threat.
Specifically, the Report found that: ‘the tactics applied … were consistent with the law, and were consistent with the pure theory, the written principles, and the spirit of the Incident Management / Intervention Model (IMIM), with RCMP use of force policies and training principles, and with accepted police practices in Canada.’
The Report further explains that officers, ‘…were acting on reasonable grounds when they visually and audibly confronted the man in the orange and yellow vest – whom they believed to be [the perpetrator]. They did not simply stop and fire rounds at him.’
We stand by the actions of our Members who acted decisively in their efforts to protect Nova Scotians from an active threat. We also understand and acknowledge that this event was traumatic for all occupants inside the Hall, as well as another Member who bravely continued to guard his post and protect the occupants of the Fire Hall.”
About the National Police Federation:
The National Police Federation (NPF) was certified to represent ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally in the summer of 2019. The NPF is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada; the second largest in North America and is the first independent national association to represent RCMP Members.
The NPF is focused on improving public safety in Canada by increasing resources, equipment, training, and other supports for our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and supports for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/
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Media contact:
Fabrice de Dongo
Manager, Media Relations
fdedongo@npf-fpn.com
(647) 274-7118