RCMP wasn't built to police rural communities: criminologist

The RCMP has drawn a lot of criticism for its response to the deadly mass shooting that began in Portapique, N.S., in April 2020.

But even before the deadly 13-hour rampage, the RCMP was being criticized right across the country for its poor track record when it comes to policing in rural communities.

"If we learn nothing from this tragedy, we have to learn that rural policing for the most part [in Canada] is broken," said St. Thomas University criminology professor Michael Boudreau.

The Mass Casualty Commission's (MCC) final report laid out several recommendations on how policing in rural communities can be improved, but Boudreau says the RCMP wasn't built for this kind of policing in small and remote communities.

"They [RCMP] were meant to be a national police force that deals with things like domestic terrorism, human trafficking, and the drug trade," said Boudreau. "Boots on the ground kind of policing was never part of their DNA and it's been an awkward transition for them."

Boudreau says rural provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick should abandon the RCMP policing model and expand municipal policing.

"It may not be a cost-saving measure but it would allow for better community policing, which was so very missing in Portapique in April 2020," said Boudreau.

The MCC's final report included 130 recommendations when it came to policing, and made several suggestions on how to improve policing in rural communities.

The report is highly critical of the RCMP's response on the evening of April 18, 2020, when the gunman, Gabriel Wortman, went on a shooting spree that began in his home and out into the neighbourhood in the rural community of Portapique.

Wortman, disguised as an RCMP officer, evaded police and went on a 13-hour shooting rampage that left 22 innocent Nova Scotians dead, including a pregnant mother. RCMP eventually shot and killed Wortman at a roadside gas bar and truck stop in Enfield, N.S.

Before the deadly mass shooting, the RCMP had faced long-standing criticism of its contract policing services in rural communities -- and not just in the Maritimes -- but the failures in responding to the mass shooting only amplified the issue.

Colchester County, which includes the village of Portapique, struck up a police service review just before the deadly rampage to examine its policing contract with the RCMP, while also determining if the service was effective and if the county was getting its money's worth.

At the time, Tom Taggart was the county councillor for the area that included Portapique, and he was unrelenting in his call for a police review.

Taggart was critical of the RCMP for its lack of presence in the community, and now that he's a PC MLA for Colchester North, he had this to say about rural policing.

"It's a challenge, I don't think it's gotten a lot better but it's a challenge," said Taggart. "I'm not sure what the right way is to face it."

The RCMP review for Colchester County was completed by former Halifax Deputy Police Chief Bill Moore but the county has held on to it while awaiting the findings of the MCC's final report.

It's expected that Colchester County will make the police review public at a council meeting later this month.

"The commission completed their mandate and this is what they set out to do and so now we have to ensure the report is acted upon and it doesn't sit on somebody's shelf," said Michael Gregory, councillor for District 7 in Colchester County.

Gregory is also a retired RCMP officer and says a major issue with the RCMP's rural policing model is the transient nature of the work and the lack of familiarity the officers who are policing the area have with the community.

For the most part, the officers patrolling these rural communities aren't from the area and don't know the people or the environment, said Gregory.

New Brunswick Mayor Ken Stannix agrees and says it's important for police to live in the community they help keep safe.

"It's important for them to integrate into the community," said Stannix. "If they don't know the area, they may not know the players, they won't know who the person was that made the phone call."

The final report says that more value needs to be placed into rural policing and all levels of government need to provide financial support to ensure the communities are adequately policed.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said it's now up to elected officials to take these recommendations and move them forward.

"This is critical, everyone wants safer communities and I certainly do," said Houston. "I think the very first place to start with the recommendations will be the joint committee on making sure the recommendations are implemented."