Fredericton’s police chief says the force is moving to better serve francophones following complaints two officers failed to fully comply with the Official Languages Act during a traffic stop last June.
A report into the incident recommends that all non-bilingual officers be reminded of their obligations to offer service in both English and French, and that there be at least one bilingual officer available within a reasonable time.
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Chief Leanne Fitch says the force’s testing has found that more than 30 employees have varying degrees of proficiency in French.
She says posted hiring requirements now include bilingual as a preference and an asset, but can’t make it a prerequisite because the pool of qualified candidates would be too small.
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Fitch says additional resources will be allocated to provide some French language training to officers and staff.