New Fredericton police chief to lean on partnerships to help make city safer

Collaborating with community partners will be key to addressing public safety concerns that stem from socioeconomic issues, says Fredericton's new chief of police.

Chief Gary Forward said one of his top priorities as the city's new chief will be exploring partnerships aimed at helping police better respond to calls related to homelessness and drug addiction.

"Many municipalities and communities are experiencing some of these same challenges," said Forward, speaking after his formal introduction to Fredericton city council on Monday.

"So again, this comes down to having input, open discussion around what ideas, options can best be put forward to potentially resolve these, these very complex issues."

The city hired Forward following the retirement of former police chief Martin Gaudet, who served in the role since 2022.

Forward's new role marks a return to the police force he started his career with in 1999 as a constable.

He went on to work for the New Brunswick RCMP and later the Department of Justice and Public Safety before his recent stint as chief of the Woodstock Police Department.

Forward's comments on Monday speak to the Fredericton force's growing need to respond to calls about people who are homeless and living in tents on public and private property.

The issue has sparked concern from residents and business owners about a perceived increase in petty theft, vandalism and open drug use linked to it.

Mayor Kate Rogers has bemoaned how a lack of mental health and housing services — both provincial responsibilities — have helped create those problems for municipalities such as Fredericton.

Prior to Forward's arrival, police offices had already begun having social workers and other professionals accompany them to certain calls and attempt to connect people to resources they needed.

As for the trafficking and dealing of drugs, Forward didn't say if he would try a new strategy, noting the provincial government already formed "integrated enforcement units" to address the issue, which he said is "headed in a very good direction."

Recruitment and retention

Forward said his first day on the job gave him the chance to meet with officers and hear about challenges they're facing.

He said the main one had to do with recruitment and retention, which he noted is a problem many other police forces in Canada are experiencing.

The Fredericton Police Force was rocked by the line-of-duty killings of two officers in August 2018, which led to a wave of occupational and sick leaves among members, in addition to retirements.

The police force had about 23 vacancies as of the end of August, according to former chief Gaudet, but a new police academy satellite school in Fredericton was expected to fill those vacancies.

"And that [program] along with a few other ideas are what we are looking at to sort of be able to bridge that gap of resource challenges," Forward said.

Helping residents feel safe

Speaking on Monday, Rogers said she hopes to see a focus on policing that helps residents feel safe.

She said she recognizes the city has grown, and with that, so have the socioeconomic problems that lead to theft, vandalism and addiction.

She said in the hiring process, Forward seemed sensitive to those concerns, which is a big reason why he ultimately got the job.

"What we walked away with was this sense that he took this work very seriously and recognized that it's important policing too," Rogers said.

"It maybe is not the major crime, but it's important policing, and in a way impacts peoples' day-to-day lives more than anything else."