Gazette - Policing rural and remote Ontario

COVER - REMOTE AND NORTHERN POLICING

From grow ops to kids’ camps, challenges abound

by Insp Mark Allen manager, Crime Prevention Section Ontario Provincial Police

The challenges of policing in rural and remote communities in Ontario are numerous.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is one of the largest deployed police agencies in North America. With 5,600 uniformed staff supported by 2,000 civilians and 853 auxiliary members, the OPP provides front-line police services to 315 municipalities in Ontario, operating through 165 detachments, five regional headquarters and one divisional headquarters. The OPP is responsible for policing 922,752 square kilometres of land and 110,398 square kilometres of water.

Of the OPP’s remote detachments, roughly 20 per cent comprise suburban and traffic detachments, 50 per cent are rural posts in western, southern and eastern Ontario, and 30 per cent are located in the north of the province.

In addition to providing direct policing services to all areas of the province not covered by a municipal police services, the OPP provides specialized policing services — such as emergency response, major case management, underwater search and recovery and forensic identification — to many municipal police services.

While the OPP polices many urban and suburban areas, this article focuses on some of the more prevalent challenges facing police in rural and remote communities.

Grow operations

Grow operations continue to be a major source of concern in rural and remote areas of Ontario. Over the last several years, the stakes have increased as incidents involving homicide, assault of innocent citizens, or the use of tripwires, booby traps and other dangerous devices have occurred at grow sites across Ontario.

One significant and highly dangerous incident occurred approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Orillia, at a grow operation under OPP surveillance. With Drug Enforcement Section (DES) officers on the perimeter, an Emergency Response Team (ERT) member camouflaged on the ground inside noticed a fully uniformed individual wearing tactical clothing — including body armour clearly marked “Police” — and carrying a shot gun walking straight towards the ERT member’s position.

Initially believing a mix-up in communication may have occurred and the individual approaching may have been a DES member, the ERT member challenged the individual at gunpoint and was successful in disarming and arresting the individual without incident. The individual turned out to be a grower dressed in police tactical clothing. Several other arrests were made and the crop was harvested and destroyed.

Subsequent to the incident outside Orillia, a group of all-terrain vehicle (ATV) enthusiasts riding on a remote public trail near Carnarvon stumbled across growers tending to their operation. Several of the ATV riders were pistolwhipped and had their vehicles and identification stolen. And in eastern Ontario, a homicide took place when “pot pirates” attempted to rob a grow operation. Incidents like these are becoming more common as those engaged with grow operations go to extremes to protect their valuable crops. The OPP operates an aggressive aerial eradication program each year in an effort to locate and destroy large-scale grow operations.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence, while problematic in all communities, provides unique challenges for both victims and police in rural and remote communities. Services including shelters and counselling are spread thin across many rural and remote communities, and transportation for victims to access such services can be difficult.

Issues surrounding the small-town everyone-knows-everyone reality make it very hard for victims to reach out for assistance. For many victims living in remote and rural communities, the prospect of what comes next after disclosing an incident of domestic violence may seem worse than the situation they face if they simply keep quiet and endure the violence.

In the last six years, 29 per cent of homicides investigated by the OPP have been domestic-related. The OPP has made domestic homicide prevention a priority. The force now has a dedicated domestic violence investigator in several detachments across the province and is working towards having this full-time dedicated position in all detachments.

Youth

Youth issues also present unique challenges for police in rural and remote communities. When young people in rural areas are asked about their biggest concerns, they regularly cite a lack of activities and resources. In many areas, youth are bored, and boredom can lead to inappropriate and illegal activity. In Ontario, young people between the ages of 15 and24 are responsible for a disproportionate number of property and violent crimes.

With information readily available online, youth in all areas of the province are “connected” to the wired world, and the perceived protection of living in small, close-knit communities no longer exists. Cyber-bullying; child-luring; violent video games, media images and graphic websites; and easy access to pornography all contribute to victimization and early sexualization of young people if Internet usage is not properly supervised.

The OPP has created an online risk co-ordinator position within its Youth Issues Unit and has developed an Online Exploitation and Threats course to provide front-line officers who work with youth with the knowledge and skills to teach online safety. The course also teaches officers how to use the Internet — particularly social networking sites — while conducting investigations.

Aboriginal policing

Policing in remote, northern Aboriginal communities presents significant challenges. Some communities are accessible only by air or, during winter months, by ice road. First Nations police services in Ontario are funded for front-line service only and must continually negotiate with provincial and federal governments to acquire additional resources that address officer workload, safety and retention issues. Of the 134 Aboriginal communities in Ontario, 113 have First Nations officers policing their communities.

The OPP supports First Nations policing by providing the specialized services not included in front-line funding. As well, the OPP Aboriginal Policing Bureau has a mandate to support First Nations policing effectiveness and to contribute to healthy communities. A recent community-based example is the “North of 50” kids’ camp, held during the summer of 2008. OPP officers took a group of kids from Pikangikum, an Aboriginal community near Kenora that was identified by the United Nations as having the highest suicide rate in the world, to a camp setting for a week. The kids had a rare chance to participate in fun, healthy activities and explore positive lifestyle choices, all with the supportive guidance of police officers who acted as camp counsellors. The camp allowed police to build significant bridges, and follow-up activities continue to occur.

The OPP is also committed to providing its personnel with Native Awareness training. The force delivers a week-long training program approximately 20 times per year, in addition to a seminar series and presentations to new recruits. The OPP Native Awareness training explores Native culture, customs, colonialism and Indian Residential Schools, and has been described by many officers as the best training they have ever received.

Natural resources

Ontario’s North is rich in natural resources that support large commercial operations in many rural and remote communities. When the demand for these resources diminishes and commercial operations such as mines or mills close down, these communities — often one-industry towns — suffer significant job losses and financial pressures that place stress on families. Increases in crime and domestic violence can be tied to situations where towns basically close their doors.

These are just some of the issues that provide major challenges to OPP services deployed in rural and remote communities. Large geographic policing zones, safety and backup issues, recruitment and retention of experienced officers, and family challenges associated with living in remote communities can make policing in these communities difficult.

Despite these challenges, some OPP members have chosen to spend much of — or all of — their careers in the north. These individuals embrace the northern lifestyle, the beauty, and all that the great outdoors has to offer.

The OPP also works with the RCMP, which faces many similar challenges in rural and remote communities, to share ideas and information on how best to serve our northern and remote communities, and how to support members policing those communities.