New Brunswick public safety minister, top RCMP officer address rising crime
New Brunswick’s minister of public safety and the province’s top RCMP officer made a rare joint appearance Thursday to address rising crime.
The crime rate in the province has seen a 26 per cent increase over the past five years, according to Statistics Canada.
The numbers also show that the province’s Crime Severity Index has been the highest among the Atlantic provinces for the last five years and is 20 per cent higher than the national rate.
Kris Austin, New Brunswick’s public safety minister, says government is aware of the rise in crime.
“This police-reported data supports what I’ve been hearing from New Brunswickers and what law enforcement agencies are reporting and saying to us,” said Austin.
The news conference saw the release of provincial crime statistics from police agencies in the province from April 2021 to 2022.
During that time, police across the province made 159 drug seizures, seized about $808,000 in cash, 311 weapons and made 328 arrests related to drug crime.
The province also outlined how it spent $7.6 million since April 2021 to reduce crime. This includes:
- $2.3 million in 2021-22 for the RCMP to start Provincial Crime Reduction Units which focus on high-level drug crime
- $2 million in 2021-22 in the Safer Communities Programs, which includes the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) program, and enforcement efforts targeting contraband tobacco and cannabis
- $3.3 million this year to create Integrated Drug Enforcement Units. These units include police officers and peace officers from the Department of Justice and Public Safety and focus on street-level and mid-level drug crime
Austin says specialized crime reduction units are making an impact and that incoming legislation to curb the theft of copper and catalytic converters will help too.
In June, residents of McAdam, N.B., held a public meeting about local crime and RCMP coverage around the village.
Mayor Kevin Stannix says there has been some improvement since.
“We did get some extra coverage in the midnight hours, which made quite a difference in criminal activity,” said Stannix.
“Prior to that, between midnight and 8 a.m., we didn’t really have any RCMP or police coverage in the community.”
Assistant Commissioner Deanna Hill, the New Brunswick RCMP’s commanding officer, said a lack of coverage is a common complaint of RCMP policing.
“Wherever I go, I never hear dissatisfaction with the RCMP, our membership, or service,” said Hill. “It’s mostly that there’s not enough of us. They want to see more of us.”
Stannix says the village’s own decision to add cameras in the area has been effective too.
“Once people get the idea that they’re being watched and they’ll be punished if they commit crimes, that tends to lessen crime in those particular areas,” said Stannix.
While talking about the crime numbers, Austin once again defended the provincial government’s decision to build a new jail in the Fredericton region.
“In relation to the increase in the work these officers are doing, yes, it will inevitably result in an increase in inmates. So, that’s the importance of the jail,” said Austin.
Initially tagged to cost $32 million, Austin says the jail’s final price tag is still being worked out.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.