New Brunswick communities take next step in pondering new local police force

One area in New Brunswick is taking its musings about a new local police force to the next level.

Public meetings will be held next week in the town of Hartland and the district of Carleton-North. Both communities are undergoing a joint-review of RCMP services in the area.

The duty to offer public meetings and gather feedback from residents is necessary if steps toward a new local police force are to go further.

Ultimately, Public Safety Minister Kris Austin will have final say on whether any changes happen.

“There’s a 16-step process to (the) police review,” said Carleton-North Mayor Andrew Harvey. “(Austin) gave us permission to go to step seven, they call it, of the 16 steps. So that’s where we now. We’re doing a formal presentation.

“We’ll explain what our proposal is going to look like… the pros and the cons.”

The first public 'open house' meeting will be held in Florenceville-Bristol on Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Carleton North High School. A second meeting will be held in Hartland on Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hartland Community School.

“Part of the process is making sure people’s voices are heard,” said Hartland Mayor Tracey DeMerchant. “It’s not enough to just hear it from one small localized group or committee.

“I think putting ourselves out there to receive questions, to give information, is all part of a responsible process.”

Both Harvey and DeMerchant said the review began shortly after the November 2022 municipal elections, when concerns about local police service emerged as a top issue.

“Generally what I hear from people is there’s been an erosion of services based on a lack of presence, and a lack of visibility,” said Harvey.

An advertising campaign from the National Police Federation, which represents RCMP members, suggests a change in police services could be costly and threaten public safety.

“Transitioning can also impact ready access to specialized police services, including police dogs, forensics, major crime investigators, and emergency response teams,” said Pat Bouchard, the federation’s regional director, in a written statement.

A total of 12 months notice would be required before any possible police service changes could take effect.

“I encourage these municipalities to look into whatever policing model they have,” Austin said in an interview Friday. “I certainly don’t discourage that.

“We don’t want any area of New Brunswick being policed by enforcement agencies that are not up to standard. So it is up to us as a department, it is up to me as a minister, to be able to determine that the standard has been met. So that’s ultimately how the final decision is made.”

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