RCMP Watch

(Canadaeast News Service) - The RCMP wants to become more visible to the public it serves. That’s a key objective from a recent review of RCMP services in New Brunswick.

Chief Supt. Wayne Lang said one of the biggest issues RCMP members hear from the public has to do with visibility.

“It’s absolutely critical that we maximize the use of our police officers and we need to keep them on the road,” Lang says. “That’s where the people want to see them and that’s where we want to see them.”

A recent internal review of RCMP service in New Brunswick looked at ways the force can improve its front-line services and visibility was one of the areas identified. In an effort to improve services offered by the RCMP and be more visible in the process, the force will be tweaking the district policing concept, rolled out in New Brunswick in the early 1990s.

When the changes took effect more than a decade ago, many smaller operations lost administration and counter service. The force is now looking at re-establishing that service at certain locations.

“It means where we have sufficient numbers of members, we will look at re-establishing administration support,” Lang says. “We will have a front counter service in those places where it makes sense. I think that is a significant recommendation and that is the direction we are going to go.”

Some areas have already moved in that direction. The report also recommended that the force create general investigation sections in every district so that each will have the capacity to investigate more serious crimes, such as home invasions and armed robberies.

In the past, uniformed officers were dealing with serious crime investigations and answering calls for service, Lang says. Other areas identified in the report for attention include:

–Streamlining reporting within the force, thus allowing the RCMP to better maximize its resources.

–Reviewing the Crime Stoppers program, focusing on how the RCMP can better support it.

–Creating a ’scene of crime officer’ capable of providing a basic identification service.

–Adding an additional police dog. The force currently has four.

The report contained 47 recommendations, focusing on internal reporting and alignment; how can the RCMP better respond to its clients needs; and improving communications, both internally and externally.

“We are moving as quickly as we can on the recommendations,” Lang says. “Some have more work to be done around some of the recommendations.”

Lang says the report will allow the force to better implement some of the crime reduction strategies now being and aid in the delivery of others that are being acted upon.

“We are targeting prolific offenders, simply the people who are keeping us busy,” Lang says. “Research has shown that a large percentage of crime in a given area is being done by a small percentage of the criminals.

“One of the crime reduction strategies is to focus your attention on those people.”

Michael Boudreau, an associate professor with the department of criminology and criminal justice at St. Thomas University, says it’s important that all police forces, not just the RCMP, have a visible presence within the communities they serve.

“Without such a presence, the police run the risk of diminishing public confidence in them,” he says.

Given the number of rural communities the RCMP police in this province, if they don’t have a visible presence, then people will begin to wonder whether the RCMP members are doing their jobs effectively, Boudreau says.