RCMP Watch

Halifax, N.S. (Canadian Press) - Nova Scotia’s top RCMP officer has issued an apology to a small black community on the province’s southern coast, saying he wants to mend a rift with residents who have accused police of racism.Assistant Commissioner Ian Atkins called a news conference Wednesday to explain why he met with 30 members of the black community at an elementary school in Digby a day earlier.

He said he met with residents to “offer the community an apology for things that were, inappropriate things that were said and done in relation to the black community by a former commander.”

Atkins added: “I indicated that the past behaviour wasn’t consistent with the ethical standards and professionalism of the RCMP that I expect of our commanders.”

He would not name the former commander he was referring to.

When asked about a complaint in 2005 from two female employees at the Digby detachment about sexually suggestive and racist comments allegedly made by the commander, Atkins said a monetary settlement had been awarded to the women.

He wouldn’t say how much they were given or if it was linked to any agreement stopping them from taking legal action.

Atkins refused to reveal the exact nature of the racism complaint, but said it involved a commonly used racial slur.

As well, Atkins refused to say whether the former commander was ever reprimanded, stripped of any commendations or disciplined in any way after he took a voluntary discharge with a full pension in 2006.

Atkins said the apology was needed to improve the situation between the black community and the RCMP in the town.

“This was the first time I’ve done that (apologize),” Atkins said at RCMP headquarters in Halifax.

“Is it easy to do? No, it’s not easy, but I felt it had to be done because I didn’t think we could deal with the future until we dealt with the past.”

A leading member of the black community said he was pleased the force had finally recognized an issue they say has beset the fishing community for decades.

“I think it’s appropriate - it could have come sooner - but nonetheless it’s better late than never,” said Rev. Michael Alden Fells, a black pastor who lives in the community.

“I felt it was a genuine apology.”

Fells said the bulk of the people who attended the meeting accepted the apology and are hoping it will bring greater scrutiny to what he described as racist beliefs that have long affected policing in the region.

He said there have been long-standing complaints in the town of about 2,200 that police target black people more aggressively, harass and taunt them, and have used racist epithets.

He cited the case of a student who was allegedly roughed up by RCMP officers at a local school in 2006, but was never charged with an offence. The encounter was captured on video and shown to the school board, but Fells said no action was taken at the time.

He said the experience followed many in which people complained about police behaviour, but saw little or no response.

“Many members of the black community dreaded having any dealings with the RCMP,” Fells said from Digby.

Fells said several black parents expressed their frustration with the force Tuesday night, claiming little has changed since the complaints were made public.

Atkins said a committee, including some of Digby’s 300 black residents, has been created to address concerns over policing and racial sensitivity.

He said four of the 16 people in the Digby detachment are black and that they are always looking to recruit people sensitive to racial issues.

Mayor Frank Mackintosh, who attended the meeting, said he believes town residents feel relieved by the apology and want to put the incidents behind them.

“It was an embarrassment for the whole town and the area,” he said. “There was a lot of racist remarks and things that were supposed to have been said at the headquarters.”