Combatting serious crime, drug trafficking and child exploitation are ongoing priorities for both the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (RNC). Today, RCMP Chief Superintendent Garrett Woolsey and RNC Chief Joe Boland provided information on changes coming to how the police will combat these areas of crime.
Over the last five years, police officers from both police forces have worked under the umbrella of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Effective October 17, 2018, all police officers currently assigned to CFSEU will be redeployed within the RCMP and RNC to allow more flexibility for both forces to target specific crime areas. There will be no reduction in the number of police officers as a result of these changes.
Some of CFSEU's police officers will form a new Drug Unit within the RNC to combat street level illegal drugs and associated crime, while others will be deployed to RCMP Federal Policing, adding to the team there to combat serious and organized crime. The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team will remain intact and will work as an integrated unit, including RNC and RCMP police officers, within the RCMP Major Crimes program. This team's work is province-wide, with work based out of St. John's, Gander and Corner Brook. Other joint police operations will continue to occur, as investigations warrant.
Both Chief Superintendent Woolsey and Chief Boland commended the work of CFSEU and its dedicated police officers, noting that this change is about being nimble to target resources to best fight crime.
"Essentially, what this means is that the RNC and RCMP will continue to work closely but not within the structure of CFSEU, allowing the targeting of police to best combat crime to keep our communities and province safe," said Chief Superintendent Woolsey. "It is important that we put the right resources in the right places at the right times. I thank the police officers who were involved in CFSEU for their hard work and successes and look forward to their continued contributions."
"As our community changes and evolves, so does the complexity and nature of crime," said Chief Boland. "It is critical that we as police constantly evaluate and enhance our response to meet the changing needs of our communities. The new RNC Drug Unit will target street level drugs with the objective of disrupting the illegal drug trade that continues to be a serious problem within our community. The RNC remains focused on making Newfoundland and Labrador a safer and healthier place to live, work, and raise families."