Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador

The town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a scenic community situated in Central Labrador. It is the largest community in Labrador with a population of approximately 8,000. The other three communities in the local area are North West River, Sheshatshiu and the Village of Mud Lake. The total population of these communities are approximately 2,000. Central Labrador is made up of ancient mountains, spruce forest and sandy beaches, beautiful rivers and sparkling lakes. This land has been occupied by the Innu and Inuit for over 6000 years. Their ancestral knowledge of the land is passed on from generation to generation.

In 1743, North West River was founded by Louis Fornel, an independent fur trader from Quebec. North West River is the oldest community in Central Labrador. The town today consists of 500 people, mainly of Metis decent.

Sheshatshiu is an Innu First Nations community with a population of approximately 1200 residents. Sheshatshiu is located on the river between Lake Melville and Grand Lake. The first language of the community is Innu Eimun which is still spoken by the majority of the residents.

The Village of Mud Lake is known as the little “Venice” of Labrador. It is a picturesque, wilderness village accessible only by boat in the summer and snowmobile in the winter.

RCMP Labrador District

Contact Information:
Officer in Charge - R.C.M.Police
149 Hamilton River Road
PO Box 1480, Station B
Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL A0P 1MO
Telephone: (709) 896-3383
Fax: (709) 896-8963

The RCMP building was officially opened in May of 1995. Several Sections and offices are situated in this building, including to following:

Labrador District Headquarters:
- consists of one Inspector (District Commander in Charge of all RCMP officers, staff and operations throughout Labrador), one Staff Sergeant (District Operations NCO, in charge of all operations for all coastal units), and one full-time District Assistant. Labrador District consists of 54 police officers, 4 Community Constables, 17 public service employees/employees, and several temporary casual employees, who work at the following Detachments/Units:

• Labrador District Headquarters
• Goose Bay Air Services Section
• Happy Valley-Goose Bay Detachment
• Sheshatshiu Detachment
• Nain Detachment
• Hopedale Detachment
• Natuashish Detachment
• Makkovik Detachment
• Rigolet Detachment
• Cartwright Detachment
• Mary’s Harbour Detachment
• Forteau Detachment.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Detachment:
- consists of one Sergeant (Operations NCO in charge of all operations for Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Sheshatshiu Detachments), two Corporals (Team Leaders), twelve General Duty Constables (Investigators), one Court Liaison Constable, and one Community Constable. Additionally, there are three full-time and two-part time Detachment Assistants, as well as six full-time and several part-time cell block guards/matrons.

General Investigation Section/Property Crimes Section:
- consists of one Corporal (Team Leader), one Constable (General Investigator) and one Constable (Property Crime Investigator).

Traffic Services Section:
- consists of two Constables

Provost Section:
- consists of one Constable

Forensic Identification Section:
- consists of one Corporal

Drug Awareness Section:
- consists of one Corporal

Community and Aboriginal Policing Section:
- consists of one Sergeant

Property Management Section:
- consists of one Civilian Member (TCE)

Restorative Justice Section:
- consists of one employee

Goose Bay Air Services Section

The RCMP also has an Air Services Section located at 5 Wing Goose Bay. It consists of two full-time pilots, one Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (AME) and one part-time Flight Services Coordinator. The hangar is home for one de Havilland “Twin Otter” aircraft, which is used to conduct policing operations and services throughout Labrador and the Maritimes.

Sheshatshiu Detachment

The current Sheshatshiu Detachment office building was officially opened in June of 2005. The Detachment consists of one Corporal (Team Leader) in charge, seven General Duty Constables (Investigators) and one full-time Detachment Assistant. This Detachment is responsible for policing services for the Communities of Sheshatshiu and North West River. Two Officers assigned to this Detachment currently live in North West River.

Community Policing Programs

Restorative Justice Practices

Members and employees of the RCMP throughout Labrador are actively involved in the Restorative Justice processes, whether it be Community Justice Forums or Alternative Measures. Currently there are five qualified RCMP facilitators for the community justice forum. This forum process is a safe, controlled setting in which the offender, victim and their supporters are brought together, with a trained facilitator, to discuss the offence, its effects, and to jointly decide how to right the wrong that has been done. These processes are used frequently and have a high success rate.

Citizens on Patrol

Citizens on Patrol has been active for several months now in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. There are currently twenty-five members of the community working in partnership with the RCMP. This allows members of the community to take on an active role in policing their community. It also provides them with a first hand look at the issues that police officers face within their community.

Auxiliary Constable Program

There are several Auxiliary Constable positions located throughout Labrador, including five positions at Happy Valley-Goose Bay Detachment and one at Sheshatshiu Detachment. These positions are staffed by volunteers from the community. These volunteers are trained for police work and go on patrol, working side-by-side with regular Officers. Auxiliary Constables have Peace Officer status, similar to regular Officers, when on duty. Each of these volunteers give hundreds of hours of service throughout the year within their communities.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Search and Rescue (SAR) Team

The Happy Valley-Goose Bay SAR Team was formed in 1985. It consists of fifty-one active volunteers. They cover a large geographic area including Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Sheshatshiu, North West River, Mud Lake and surrounding areas. This team has also conducted searches in other areas of Labrador including Natuashish, Rigolet, and the Cache River area. The SAR Team also assists RCMP Officers in controlling crime scenes, conducting article searches, and air searches.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)

The D.A.R.E. program is very active in many Detachments throughout Labrador. D.A.R.E. is a ten week program which was developed by experts and is designed to provide elementary students with the skills that they need to resist drugs, violence and gangs.

Other Community Based Policing Programs

Inter-agency meetings are held on a monthly basis between many community agencies and representatives from the RCMP. The Labrador District RCMP recognize the values of working with all community partners and representatives in both the consultative and policing processes, with the aim of creating solutions to community concerns, with a focus on our goal of ‘safe homes and safe communities’.