Earthquake in Haiti: Loss of RCMP Officer Sgt. Mark Gallagher

OTTAWA - January 14, 2010 - With television images of search and rescuers pulling survivors from the rubble of buildings, the RCMP was hopeful of finding our two missing colleagues alive. Unfortunately, I have the sad task of confirming that we have located the remains of Sgt. Mark Gallagher in the rubble of his residence in Port au Prince. This is devastating news for Mark’s immediate family and those of us in the RCMP. My profound sympathies go out to Mark’s wife Lisa and their children Shane and Heather.

Mark’s remains were identified visually by a contingent colleague working in collaboration with the search team at his residence. We are now doing everything possible to recover Mark’s body, and arrange for his repatriation.

We still hold out hope that we will find Supt Douglas Coates alive. Our Canadian contingent commander Supt Michel Martin of the Surete du Quebec is working closely with the Canadian Forces and the United Nations on the search for Doug.

Against this tragic news, I would like to update you on the status of our Canadian police contingent and our efforts to provide further assistance to them and to the humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.

Fifty-one Canadian police officers have been relocated to the United Nations logistics base in Port-au-Prince. Supt. Martin reports that our people are managing well, given fatigue and the difficult living conditions. In addition to securing the base, they are providing humanitarian assistance where possible. The remaining 29 Canadian police officers located in remote regions not so severely affected by the earthquake continue their UN duties.

Supt. Martin has done an outstanding job supporting the men and women under his command both in terms of providing for their safety and security and equipping them with the tools they need to continue their important work. He has implemented a roll call system to ensure regular contact with each member.

I would like to extend our gratitude for the contributions of our Canadian police partners. In Haiti, these include officers from the Surete du Quebec and municipal police services in Montreal, Quebec City, Ste-Therese de Blainville, Saguenay, Ottawa, and Durham.

There is no current timeline for how long the Canadian police contingent members will remain in Haiti. Those members that were on leave outside of the country at the time of the earthquake have been told to cancel plans to return for the time being.

I would also like to thank our Canadian Forces personnel who are providing us with logistical support on the ground.

As we updated earlier, the RCMP, in collaboration with the Service de police de Montréal (SPVM) and la Sûreté du Québec (SQ), deployed three additional Canadian police officers to Haiti today. Their role is to provide a clear assessment of the situation in the country, assess the mandate of the UN police mission in Haiti, and provide support to the Canadian police officers on the ground. They are Superintendant Jean-Michel Blais from the RCMP, accompanied by Commandant Mario Fournier (SPVM) and Captain Claude Germain Jr (SQ).

RCMP Supt. Blais was the former Deputy Commissioner of the mission in Haiti. He is a trained senior officer for United Nations missions. Supt. Blais will be the link between the mission and the RCMP’s International Peace Operations Branch. Commandant Fournier is an officer with the SPVM and Cpt. Germain Jr. will be representing the SQ.

We have received many offers of support and offers of assistance from many Canadian police forces. We are working with the Canadian Forces, Foreign Affairs, Public Safety Canada and others to identify requirements and deployable resources to aid in the Government of Canada’s efforts in Haiti in the wake of this disaster.

William J.S. Elliott
Commissioner, Royal Canadian Mounted Police