RCMP 'ready for the challenges' of expanded role following N.S. policing review

Nova Scotia's commanding RCMP officer says the Mounties are well positioned to take on a bigger role in the province, two years after a public inquiry identified serious failures in its response to the April 2020 mass shooting and called for major improvements.

A subsequent review into policing was released last week, with the province indicating an expansion of the RCMP is included in its plans to modernize services.    

Some municipal leaders have questioned the direction, while Justice Minister Becky Druhan has insisted she is confident it is the correct path.

"Based on our improvements, based on our actions in the last five years, we have greatly enhanced and are ready for the challenges that lay ahead," said Assistant Commissioner Dennis Daley, the commanding officer of the Nova Scotia RCMP.

The Mass Casualty Commission made 130 recommendations after examining the circumstances around the shooting rampage in which 22 people were killed across Nova Scotia.

It contained severe criticisms of the RCMP, including the failure to warn people about the danger as well as not being properly prepared to respond to such an event.  

Daley pointed to investments in emergency response, technology and improvements in public alerts, while also noting a significant increase in the number of critical incident training scenarios.

"We're actually practising much more frequently as either a senior team or a local team on how we would respond to a mass event," Daley said. "Certainly from a Nova Scotia lens, we've had significant progress in implementation."

The RCMP has been publicly tracking implementation of the inquiry's recommendations on its website as the force works to restore trust.

"I do recognize that some people may be surprised with the direction that the [Justice] Department is going," Daley conceded. "I can only reassure Nova Scotians that we are ready if the department asks us to do something specifically and where we are always searching and trying to develop trust of Nova Scotians."

RCMP not looking to take over municipalities 

There are 10 municipal police services in Nova Scotia communities. Some of their mayors, including those in Bridgewater and Kentville, have expressed concern about how an expansion of the RCMP changes could affect their own forces.

Druhan said last week those that cannot meet provincial standards face being replaced by the RCMP.

"That's not my desire," Daley said. "The municipal police departments here do a very good job."

Concerns some of the mayors echoed from the policing report about slow response times and a lack of visibility in rural parts of Nova Scotia can be attributed to the large geographical areas the RCMP is responsible for, Daley explained. Concerns have also been raised over the cost municipalities face to fund new officers.

While the RCMP is struggling to staff some areas of the country, that is not a problem in Nova Scotia, he said, referencing recruitment numbers from the last fiscal year. The force welcomed about 70 cadets and 40 experienced officers to Nova Scotia, Daley added.

"As the Department of Justice asks us to expand, we can fulfil those needs," he said.

It is still early in the process but Daley has already talked to some municipal police chiefs to gauge their reaction.

He expects further talks over the next few months.