“I can’t stress enough the immensity of the problem we’re facing,” Chief Henry Rodgers said Thursday.
With cases of arson, reckless driving, violence and open drug deals all reportedly going unchecked, a First Nations community in Quebec is sounding the alarm about a lack of policing on its territory.
The Long Point First Nation, about half of whose members live in Winneway, in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, has declared a state of emergency over what it describes as a “rising safety crisis.”
Blaming the Sûreté du Québec for letting the situation get out of hand, the community is calling for an emergency meeting with Quebec’s public security minister.
“I can’t stress enough the immensity of the problem we’re facing,” Chief Henry Rodgers said in an interview. “We want to feel safe in our community. But when you don’t have the proper police service, it makes it very difficult to do so.”
However, Rodgers said, part of the issue lies in how, under the agreement, police officers from the neighbouring forces can’t patrol in Winneway without being accompanied by SQ officers.
As the community continues to call for its own police force, Rodgers said a recent spike in drug dealing and violence “in all its forms” has now compounded the problem, with members reaching a breaking point after several incidents last weekend.
Videos shared by the local council show an excavator burning after being lit on fire, a truck speeding down a quiet street as people scream and hang from its cargo box, and a group of youths fighting at night. The videos were sent to the Sûreté du Québec and the provincial government to stress the urgency to act, Rodgers said.
In a joint statement sent to The Gazette, the offices of Quebec Public Security Minister François Bonnardel and Indigenous Affairs Minister Ian Lafrenière said they are in contact with the community.
“The situation is concerning and we are monitoring it closely,” the statement said, noting the 2021 agreement on policing in the area. “We have confidence in the police work being done.”
The Sûreté du Québec, for its part, acknowledged the community’s concerns, but denied any allegations of failing at its role as a police force.
Among other efforts, the provincial police force said it holds weekly joint patrols with the two neighbouring departments and noted it has an Indigenous liaison officer that works closely with the community.
It also said recent police call sheets and internal statistics do not point to an increase in crime on the territory. Meanwhile, the local council took measures of its own this week, including establishing a volunteer night patrol to enhance people’s sense of security.
“We took the approach that we would do something ourselves,” Rodgers said. “The safety of our youth and elders — of all band members — is a prime concern.”