SAINT JOHN – The chair of the Saint John board of police commissioners says she hopes the findings of an inquiry into police handling of the Dennis Oland murder investigation are made public.
Nicole Paquet said the police “absolutely need to make sure the public hears” how police are addressing concerns raised with their investigation into the high-profile case.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Dennis Oland murder trial
The review of the Saint John police force’s handling of the case was requested by the New Brunswick Police Commission after Richard Oland’s son Dennis Oland was found guilty of second-degree murder in December.
The investigation came under scrutiny during the trial, specifically in its early stages. It was also mentioned in a lengthy final charge to the jury, which noted a handful of missteps by police. The commission will examine the way police gathered the evidence that allowed the Crown to build their case.
On Tuesday, members of the Oland family said the possibility that the review may be kept from the public is unacceptable and “serves only to further erode the community’s confidence and trust.”
“We have more than earned the right to better understand how the system has failed us,” read a statement made by Connie Oland and Lisa Oland. “The public most definitely deserves to know what steps will be taken to prevent it from failing them.”
New Brunswick’s public safety minister Stephen Horseman told Global News in a statement that “it is far too early in the process” to discuss whether or not any documents will be released.
He said he would support the release of any document “in principle”, as long as doing so did not violate any legislation.
Mary Ann Campbell, the head of criminal justice studies at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, said there is merit to wanting to make the findings public.
“I can understand the community’s desire to know that it’s been looked at and to know that there hasn’t been anything additional identified, and that the right steps have been taken,” she said.
With Global News files
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