Office of the Chief Coroner

Publications & Reports

The Office of the Chief Coroner’s Death Review of the Youth Suicides at the Pikangikum First Nation

2006 – 2008

Part E: Policing Services in Pikangikum

E1. Introduction

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has a vested interest in the sustainability of First Nations policing in Ontario, in keeping with its public safety mandate and legislated responsibilities under the Police Services Act (PSA). The OPP is the only police service in Canada to retain a statutory obligation to provide policing service anywhere in the province where none exists. Since implementation of the federal First Nation Policing Policy (FNPP) in Ontario in 1991, the OPP has been directly involved in the administration and delivery of policing arrangements under the Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement (OFNPA). For approximately 20 years prior to that, with the departure of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the OPP was responsible for policing all of Ontario’s First Nation reserve communities.

Today, the OPP provides active administrative support to 19 First Nation communities under the OFNPA, and direct police service to another 19 across the province. Nine self-directed First Nations police services serve the balance of Ontario’s 134 First Nations communities, with operational and specialty services support from the OPP.

E2. Pikangikum First Nation

The OPP has a long history of providing policing to Pikangikum and in supporting the officers who have worked there. Pikangikum is currently policed under the OFNPA by First Nations constables employed by the community and supported by the OPP. Pikangikum is the busiest First Nations community in Ontario in terms of policing. There were approximately:

Pikangikum has a complement of seven First Nations constables under the OFNPA and one position through the five-year Police Officer Recruitment Fund (PORF). The community is rarely able to maintain its full First Nation constable complement and even if the designated staffing level could be maintained, the community would be critically short of police officers.

The community wants to see its First Nations constable positions filled with qualified candidates and the OPP supports this position. Recruitment and retention of First Nations constables is difficult given significant challenges ranging from issues of workload, remoteness, housing, accommodation shortages and the challenges of the inherent stresses where these constables are having to police their neighbours, and at times, their families.

Picture 7. Sitting area and toilet facilities in cells.

Picture 8. Graffiti on the ceiling of the cell.

Note the graffiti on the ceiling of the cell. Persons in custody with lighters used their lighters to burn graffiti on the ceiling. In the past, Band constables would lodge prisoners in the cells without searching them. This practice stopped when the new police office opened.

Although the OFNPA is administered through the OPP Aboriginal Policing Bureau, delivery of policing service to Pikangikum is the responsibility of the OPP Red Lake Detachment, supported by OPP Northwest Region and Aboriginal Policing Bureau.

Since October 2007, OPP officers have been deployed from detachments around the province to Pikangikum, on two-week assignments, to assist with policing. The OPP continues to accrue significant overtime costs to cover vacancies and supplement officer strength to address community safety issues. The OPP costs associated with deployment of officers to Pikangikum, on a rotational basis, are currently estimated at $1.3 million annually. Within the OFNPA, these costs are not recoverable.

The Chief and Council are not fully in favour of the current OPP deployment program, primarily citing concerns with a lack of officer continuity. However, there is recognition that without this program and given the high vacancy rate of Pikangikum First Nations constables, adequate police service to the community would be in serious jeopardy. The OPP and Pikangikum Police focus is to stabilize the community in terms of public safety, with the safety of those who are most vulnerable in the community as the priority.

In Pikangikum, there are fewer pillars of stability. Other communities (First Nation and non-First Nation) in the province may have several. Policing in Pikangikum is, along with the Nursing Station, one of the pillars. In most communities, if one pillar falters, others may step in and accept the burden of increased responsibility. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Pikangikum. The demands on policing as an institution and individual officers on the ground are wide ranging, significant and unrelenting. While this is an opportunity for policing to intersect and interact with the community, it can be overwhelming given the number of calls for service and demand for essential police work.

The Chief and Council largely see the OPP as a support to their own police service, and have indicated on numerous occasions a desire to establish their own stand-alone police service controlled by a Pikangikum police governing authority operating on its First Nation territory.

Pikangikum is not dissimilar from other small, isolated First Nations communities in terms of governance stability. There is a high turn-over of elected officials and the authority of elected Band Chiefs and Councils over policing matters can be ambiguous and not clearly delineated.

Pikangikum does differ significantly in terms of community safety issues as evidenced by the number of calls for police service in the community.

E3. Community Expectation of Policing

Numerous challenges confound efforts to adequately and appropriately address the policing needs of First Nations communities. Given the absence of non-aboriginal comparators as to structure and governance, an understanding of community expectation is essential to build and maintain the relationships and the trust needed to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable in the community.

Ambiguity can exist over the authority for the community’s policing:

As suggested, the potential for local First Nation political involvement with police authority can occur and does not serve the interest of the community and public safety well.

The perceived role of the Chief and Council:

Lack of community services increases the expectations of policing:

E4. Governance Structures

The existing governance structure of First Nations policing is problematic. While civilian oversight of policing is considered essential to build public trust, governance of First Nations policing, under the FNPP, is mostly left to elected band councils and chiefs. The authority of elected band chiefs and councils over policing matters needs to be clearly delineated. The potential for local First Nation political involvement with police authority can hold grave consequences, as has been demonstrated on more than one occasion in Pikangikum.

E5. Pikangikum Policing Statistics

Calls for Service Comparison:

Pikangikum First Nation Summary:

Alcohol-related Arrests:

(Main Categories: Disturb the peace; Federal statutes; Indian Act)

Investigations in relation to Violent Crime:

Breakdown by major category 2010*:

Mental Health Act – Attempt Suicide:

Sudden Death (includes accidental, natural, suicide and other):

*As of October 3, 2010

(Source: Ontario Provincial Police, Policing Services in Pikangikum, OPP Red Lake Detachment, October 22, 1010)

Picture 9. Special knife provided to police in Pikangikum to assist with cutting down hanging victims.

Recommendations

Pikangikum First Nation, Chief and Council

75. The Pikangikum First Nation should consider developing a Pikangikum Police Board, to interface between the police service and the community. The Board should be comprised of elders and community appointees, with the Chief as Chair.
76. When developing its terms of reference, the Board should ensure that the elected members of the local First Nation, such as the Council have representation on the Board through the Chief, and:

E6. Concluding Remarks

The community has a high crime rate compared with other First Nations communities. The OPP and Pikangikum Police have a stabilizing effect and diminishing their capacity to respond has the potential to lead to an escalation of chaos and significant harm, particularly to those who are most vulnerable, such as children, youth and the elderly. Police need to be allowed to exercise their expertise in the absence of political interference. The presence of a Board will allow the community to have a voice which is heard with respect to policing matters, but ensure non-interference. An extremely positive event has been the successful recruitment from the community of five officers who began attending the Ontario Police College in January 2011. In addition, a new police office has opened and ensures that the most modern of police facilities now serves the people of Pikangikum. In May of 2011, three Pikangikum officers graduated and will begin working in the community.