Councillor Shawn Mesheau wants Sackville town council to consider reinstating a police advisory committee, to help keep open communication on community priorities and the status of policing in Sackville.
At the August 10th council meeting, Mesheau raised a question about RCMP reporting to council, which he says has less detail than in the past.
Mesheau spoke about his concerns in a phone interview a few days later:
“Previously, when I was on council with previous sergeants in charge, we were actually getting a little more detail in regards to the reporting. You know, not specifics, but we were getting details in regards to the actual number of tickets, speeding, number of break-and-enters, vandalism, that type of thing. So that seems to have subsided recently. And now even though we’re getting a report monthly, that indicates, you know, the number of calls are up or down or the same, it doesn’t really get specific.”
At the August meeting, Mayor John Higham indicated that the lack of detail in RCMP reports has come at the cost on holding meetings in public.
Other councillors, and even RCMP Sgt. Paul Gagné, have complained previously that RMCP briefings at council are not productive since they switched from being routinely in camera to being routinely public meetings.
In February, Bruce Wark reported that Gagné told council that since the change to an open, public format, he doesn’t find as much value in the monthly meetings. Private, in camera meetings allowed for exchanges to be more “hearty and substantial,” he said.
Councillor Mesheau says that for the type of reporting he’s talking about, he doesn’t see the need to go in camera.
“Sometimes there’s some matters that need to be discussed in camera because of the nature of those matters. And, you know, I agree with that. We live in a society of information, you know, everybody has that instant access to information and feel that they need to have information. But, there’s things that we need to know in regards to… hey, we’re having break-ins in this neck of the woods. Okay, well, I’m diligent, but I’m going to be extra diligent, right?”
This is Councillor Mesheau’s fourth term on council. He was first elected in the late 90’s and served two terms until 2004. Then he took a break, re-offering and serving another term from 2012 to 2016. After another short break, he ran again in a 2018 by-election.
“When I was on Council from 2012 to 2016 things seem to kind of go in a direction of… We were actually holding a public session, or getting that public feedback. And then we would provide to the RCMP the priorities for the next year. Now, I’m not sure what happened previously to me getting back on council this time, but that has kind of gone by the wayside.”
Mesheau wonders if the lack of detail in reporting is symptomatic of issues that might stem from being part of the RCMP’s regional, or district system.
“And even though we have our own contract with the RCMP, I get a sense more so now that we have become part of a regional approach, and it kind of concerns me somewhat. Especially when you look to Moncton, the Codiak RCMP, and they seem to have more connectivity. They actually have their own police commission there.”
That’s why Mesheau is hoping Sackville council will take a look at bringing back the Sackville police advisory committee, which was formed in September 2009, and disbanded just over two years later by then-Mayor Pat Estabrooks.
Mesheau sat on and chaired the committee during its brief tenure.
“I think long term, we should really look at reinstating an advisory committee on policing. You know, we don’t have to go as far as what they did in Moncton Codiak with a police commission. My thinking is having that kind of grassroots approach and having folks involved that are tapped into the community, and making those recommendations back to Council, they become the catalysts. They’re the ones that say, listen, this is what we’ve done over the last year. And here’s what we’re recommending that council should bring forward as priorities for the next year for policing.”
Mesheau worries that in the absence of a community mandate, the province and the federal government will set the priorities for policing in the town.
“I find that we’ve lost that connectivity of the RCMP, you know, don’t get me wrong, RCMP are doing a great job. They do some difficult things where officers are doing their thing, but at the same time, what happens is we’re not providing some sort of guidance as to what particular needs our community has.”
In the age of defund the police, I asked Mesheau if he felt there was an accountability relationship right now between the Sackville RCMP detachment and town council.
“Yeah, I think there is. I just think it can get better. I just think it can get better, right… I mean, ultimately the CAO is the one who is, who the RCMP deals with most in the mirror. And then, you know, that’s why we were having those monthly meetings. They get the feedback from council at that time. And I think there’s a good working relationship there. But with any working relationship, I think we can always be room for improvement.”
Mesheau says while he served on the police advisory committee, they met with community members and the RCMP, and brought recommendations to council.
“As a committee, we were interviewing the different principals and vice principals of the schools, folks from the university, seniors groups. We engaged with all these folks and talked to them about what they felt the needs were, what was working well, where they felt connected, where they felt disconnected when it came to policing. And that really helped us form an idea back to Council. Like, here’s what we’re hearing, here is what they’re saying.”
When then-mayor Pat Estabrooks disbanded the committee in 2011, she sent a letter to committee members. Mesheau says the letter indicated that, “moving forward council was considering the establishment of a policing authority for overseeing the operation for the RCMP on the town’s behalf.”
Or, the letter said, a renewed advisory committee could be formed if the authority model is not implemented.
Mesheau says he plans on raising the issue with council, to re-investigate the idea of getting a police advisory committee in place.
Town council next meets on September 8th and 14th.
