RCMP may help police Davis Inlet

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Beleaguered tribal police may be getting much-needed support from provincial RCMP following a series of meetings between Davis Inlet leaders and Department of Justice officials.

"The meetings have turned out all right, (The RCMP) have quite agreed to have police in place in the community," said George Rich about the initial discussions.

Currently, the closest RCMP are stationed 80 kilometres away, at Hopedale, a four-hour snowmobile ride during the winter.

Tribal police are handicapped when attempting to be a presence in the community, said Rich.

"Now our police are not able to charge people, and they aren't respected, people don't pay attention to them," Rich admitted.

The problems plaguing the small community of Davis Inlet continue unabated, despite flying out troubled members to treatment centres across the country. Rich is concerned gas-sniffing episodes will increase this season.

"It will be very dangerous this winter. Our tribal police are exhausted, the patrols go out every evening looking for gas sniffers, in cold, wet weather, to at least get the sniffers indoors," said Rich.

Rich would like the RCMP to give the group recognition, but most of all, the police need a base to work from.

"We need a building. The only time we need RCMP would be when we have a crisis we can't handle, like this summer, when a group of teenagers went on a rampage."

RCMP in Saint John's, Nfld., agree a solid presence in the community would make a change, and foresee a future of shared duties, despite a tense summer of political standoffs.

In September the province was poised to fly in an RCMP security squad to force the return of a circuit court on the community. The court was told to leave last year when Innu leaders declared the justice system did not service their community interests.

"We're attempting to come to terms with the community to provide...culturally sensitive police service to them," said Inspector Gord Button, from his St. John's office. "All justice measures will be explored."

Button is optimistic talks with Davis Inlet representatives will be fruitful in reaching a policing agreement both parties can live with.

"If both of us work in the same vein, I'm sure we're going to resolve this in the not-too-distant future," he said.

Further meetings between Davis Inlet and the province are scheduled for December.