RCMP Watch

(CBC News) - People in the Innu community of Natuashish in northern Labrador are accusing the RCMP of mishandling an armed standoff that occurred when a man barricaded himself in a house.

The 16-hour standoff ended peacefully at about 1 a.m. Thursday when RCMP officers entered the house and found the man, 31, had escaped through a back door police say they didn’t know was there.A Mushuau Innu community police officer and a family member stopped the man a short time later and he was turned over to police custody.

People in Natuashish say the RCMP should have done more to include the community in the negotiations with the man.

Jim Nui was one of three people who spoke with police on behalf of the community during the standoff.

Members of the town wanted to be allowed to talk to the man who was barricaded in the house.

Nui told CBC News that police ignored his community’s request and if a similar situation happens again, Innu negotiators will try to end it alone, without the help of the RCMP.

“The Innu will get involved without the RCMP presence,” Nui said. “This kind of abuse from the RCMP will not be tolerated by the people of Natuashish.”

RCMP Staff Sgt. Jeff Hunter took part in the standoff the ended Thursday. He said there was no phone line to the house where the man had barricaded himself with a gun and the situation was too dangerous to let people approach the house.

“Given the circumstances where we have a person who has a rifle who is suffering from the affects of inhaling gas, we can’t expose people in the community to unnecessary risks,” Hunter said.

Hunter said the RCMP want to work closely with the community, but the approach to negotiations Nui suggests is illegal.

“People taking the law into their own hand to deal with issues that are best left to public safety, it’s against the law,” Hunter said.

The man who barricaded himself in the house is facing firearms charges, as well as charges of uttering threats and breaching court orders.

When officers were called to the house early Wednesday, a woman was in the house. She escaped without injury.