Since the horrific stabbings at James Smith Cree Nation last summer, calls for Indigenous self-policing have been louder than ever. Multiple Indigenous bands have expressed interest and the Saskatchewan government is now taking its first steps into making that a reality.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections, Policing, and Public Safety set aside $475,000 in the new budget last Wednesday to engage with First Nations in developing a First Nations policing model.
Paul Avanthay, chief of File Hills First Nations Police Service, was very pleased with the announcement. File Hills is the only First Nations police service in the province.
“It is very encouraging to see that both the provincial and federal levels of government are listening to what the needs of the people in Indigenous communities are. They are finding proactive ways to address the issues we face.”
Recently the Saskatchewan government has increased funding to File Hills and Avanthay is hoping the federal government will follow suit.
“We have communicated our needs to both governments. We don’t want to see a two-tier policing system, where mainstream society is entitled to a certain level of policing, while we are scratching and clawing to get our funding.”
Avanthay added that he has been working closely with both governments and he feels that things have been improving in the last year.
File Hills is opening up its expertise to any community that is interested in self-administered policing. They have already been sharing their knowledge. Avanthay wants to see other First Nations communities succeed, but not at all costs. He said that each community has to find what works for them.
“Policing is ever evolving. The service provider needs to adjust to what the community needs. Whether that is RCMP or Indigenous police it does not matter. The RCMP model is not a bad one, but it may not be suited to every community.”
The police chief explained that Indigenous policing has some distinct advantages, but also some problems.
“There is already a level of trust when an Indigenous officer goes into his community. They have a level of teaching around sensitivities that you can’t train for. You can train for it to a certain extent, but you can’t train to the level an Indigenous person is at,” Avanthay said.
There are two struggles an Indigenous force faces, according to Avanthay.
“Once an officer attains a certain level of professionalism, they are quickly picked up by other police services who can offer them a much better deal. That is why we must be competitive with other police services.”
Officers policing their community also face some distinct challenges.
“If you are a police officer in your community, it can be very difficult to interact with people you possibly grew up with or whose family you know. We need to ensure that the people policing their communities have the necessary experience to handle that added pressure,” Avanthay explained.
Working alongside the efforts of the provincial government, the RCMP is stepping up its recruitment of Indigenous officers. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, the RCMP commanding officer in Saskatchewan, said she wants to support more Indigenous policing and that plans for Indigenous police services are being discussed.
“There is a big benefit to having First Nations or Indigenous people who understand the history, the trauma, the impact of residential schools on multiple generations of Indigenous people. There will always be a place for the RCMP, but we will look into how we can support Indigenous self-administered police services in the future,” Blackmore said.