Charlottetown police Chief Brad MacConnell says he’s seen the province fund various policing initiatives, but that funding is often not sustained, leaving police departments on the hook for commitments made by the province.
Last month, a letter sent by MacConnell and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown to Justice Minister Bloyce Thompson was made public. It outlined some of the reasons why the Charlottetown Police Services would not be joining a new Joint Enforcement Team aimed at tackling the illicit drug trade and organized crime.
The team is made up of members from Summerside Police Services, the Kensington police agency and RCMP. The province is spending $800,000 on the project.
MacConnell has seen similar initiatives in the past and they haven’t worked out, he said, such as when the previous provincial government created a similar group to tackle biker gangs.
“The government had certainly the best intentions to form a task force to deal with outlaw motorcycle gangs, but I can tell you logistically it broke down. Partners retreated. Bikers are still here. And Charlottetown police were left with expectations to try to manage that,” he said.
“We certainly realize drug enforcement and drug issues are at the forefront of Islanders’ minds. While we agree in the spirit of this initiative, we have concerns over logistics, over sustainability of the model.”
‘We’d like those core issues addressed’
MacConnell pointed out despite Charlottetown police not being part of the program, there is still a lot of collaboration such as Charlottetown aiding with technology and digital forensics.
“There are some core fundamental policing issues that have to be addressed in regarding the funding of policing here on Prince Edward Island, especially in the capital area, and Charlottetown in particular,” he said.
“So, we’d like those, you know, core issues addressed before we jump into a situation where we’re increasing public expectation and we’re not going to be able to deliver.”
