The Village of McAdam is typically a quiet place.
These days, though, residents are grappling with an increase of crime. Much of it, Mayor Ken Stannix said, is against property like stolen vehicles, tools, gasoline, four-wheelers, outboard motors and other petty crimes.
He said those crimes are one thing, but there is also the alleged lack of action by police.
“It’s really a frustration that is born from a perceived lack of police action against criminals within the village,” he said in an interview on Friday.
“We’re pretty unique … our communities are smaller. Here everybody knows everyone. So, the criminal element is well-known here.”
He said the community understands crimes against property are often a lower priority for police, but he’s been told by residents that in certain cases police aren’t showing up to even take statements from victims.
“You want an RCMP officer to show up,” he said. “It’s just as important to many people who have their houses broken into. That sense of security is now lost.”
Stannix said one elderly woman in the community, who was on a fixed income, called the village office and reported that gasoline had been stolen out of her vehicle. The thief had drilled a hole right through the gas tank, leaving the women not only without gas, but a hefty repair bill for the gas tank.
He said not only has her sense of security been ripped away, but she also faces a financial burden.
Police under-resourced
The RCMP have told Stannix and council that they are under-resourced.
There is a detachment in the village and its jurisdiction extends to Donnelly, N.B., and down to St. Croix.
Each year, the village pays nearly $270,000 of its total $1.4 million budget for RCMP services. The remainder is paid by the federal government, according to Stannix.
Stannix doesn’t believe the issue is unique to McAdam.
“Everybody seems to be frustrated with policing,” he said. “It’s a provincial issue.”
For Don Doherty, a business owner in McAdam, police are just not doing what they are contracted and obligated to do.
He’s had merchandise stolen from his business, he said Friday, explaining he doesn’t feel comfortable even leaving his business locked up unattended at night.
“We’ve attempted a number of times to address the shortcomings in the system, both through our elected representatives and through the RCMP, and we are getting nowhere,” he said. “No one wants to take responsibility.”
Doherty said there isn’t enough focus on punishment for crimes like theft of property and that it is beginning to frustrate people.
“There are weaknesses in the justice system,” he said. “They are putting criminals out on the street awaiting trial and while they are out they are committing more crimes.”
He believes there are solutions available, but there is no willingness on the part of the government or RCMP to deal with those.
Doherty has plenty of stories of crimes that are happening in the village, now one of the very passionate residents trying to invoke change for his community.
RCMP condemn ‘vigilante justice’
However, there is some speculation in the community that residents have begun to take things into their own hands, or what is known as vigilante justice.
One man from St. Croix, who some residents spoke about while Global News was visiting the village, has been charged with six Criminal Code offences.
No one from the New Brunswick RCMP responded to a request for an interview on Friday.
In a statement released on Twitter, the RCMP said it wanted to address concerns about “actions regarding so-called ‘vigilante justice’ in New Brunswick.”
“We understand the frustrations being voiced in some of the communities we serve across New Brunswick,” the statement said. “We know people in our communities want to feel safe, and want action. No one, however, can operate outside the law to address those that are believed to be breaking it.”
RCMP said investigations often take time to ensure the evidence required to support criminal charges.
“The RCMP takes every report of crime seriously and we work diligently to be as effective as possible with our resources, and to ensure we are meeting the legal standards required of us that will support successful prosecutions.”
It warned that “those who attempt to take matters into their own hands” outside of the legal process put themselves and their communities at risk.
“Anyone involved in vigilante activities risks facing arrest and legal proceedings themselves,” the statement said. “Taking police matters into your own hands, or condoning those who do, is irresponsible and reckless.”
Stannix said the next step for him and the village is to get the hierarchy of the RCMP involved in public community meetings. He said they plan to have those in a few weeks alongside the new Public Safety Minister Bill Hogan.
But for both he and Doherty, who have been advocating for better policing in the community for a long time, there is a lot of work to be done.
“The RCMP and the court systems are not dealing with it and we deserve better,” Doherty said.