Yukon RCMP dealt with community tragedies and triumphs in 2016

RCMP officers in Yukon faced various challenges in 2016, but also did much they can be proud of according to Supt. Brian Jones, the Officer in Charge of Criminal Operations for the Yukon RCMP.

Jones said the past year was particularly tragic for the community of Watson Lake.

"Unfortunately Watson Lake had a summer that I think many of the individuals in that community would like to forget," said Jones.

In July an 11-year-old boy was killed after a collision with a vehicle.

His death came just a week after the alleged murder of  Watson Lake resident 36-year-old Andy Giraudel. A 22-year-old man was charged in his death.

"There was a homicide investigation that was certainly high profile and had a significant impact on the community at large in Watson Lake," said Jones.

"And I have to tell you that I was very, very proud of the work that the men and women at the Watson Lake detachment did in both investigating that incident and in supporting the community and communicating with that community.

"If we spend a lot of our time in Whitehorse we lose sight of the fact that in the smaller communities across the Yukon just how incredibly tight-knit they are."

"The support that was based in the community and the resiliency of the citizens in Watson Lake was remarkable," Jones said.

It was also "very, very busy" for the Watson Lake detachment, he said. A mushroom picker from B.C. working in the bush disappeared for several days in early June resulting in an extensive search effort. 

Then, less than a month later a local woman became lost walking her dog outside the community giving both herself and the community a scare.

In Whitehorse, the RCMP are still investigating the death of Matthew Devellano in October. He died after being shot on the street outside a home in the Porter Creek neighbourhood.

 The police are also looking for information from the public regarding the two unsolved murders of Angel Carlick in 2007 and Allan Waugh in 2014.

"What drives the investigators and drives ourselves as an organization is that these families and the loved ones never forget and never lose track of what's going on and our investigators are keenly aware of that,"  he said.

"If it appears that things are out of sight, they are not out of mind."

There have been five confirmed or suspected deaths in Yukon in 2016 related to fentanyl and the use of illicit drugs.

"The reality is we have not had seizures of fentanyl in the Yukon," said Jones.

"But we're also not blind to the fact that it is in all likelihood, pending the results of toxicology, here and having a negative impact on the citizens of the Yukon."

He said at this point the RCMP's efforts are more on harm reduction.

"It seems a little odd that the police are talking about and promoting safer habits for the use of opioids, but really we're trying to keep people alive and keep people safe," Jones said.

The federal government wants to introduce legislation legalizing marijuana use this spring. Another year or two may pass before it goes into effect.

Jones said officers' personal opinions about marijuana use will have no bearing on how they do their jobs.

But he is concerned about more drivers on the road under the influence of pot.

"I'm going on my 30 years of experience and a little bit of understanding of human nature and the human condition," said Jones.

"I think we're going to see an increase, I think people are going to feel they're going to be able to manage it and figure it out  and I'm concerned about that, about the things I can control in trying to make sure our officers, our investigators, our responders are prepared to deal with the tools and the skills and the knowledge that they have, but it's going to be a process," he said.

Jones said the Yukon RCMP are also dealing more often than in the past with issues that come up with the use of social media.

"Back in the day, if you and I were in school and we didn't like each other there was a means and a mechanism to sort that out," he said.

"Now with the advent of social media and various apps and platforms, that ability to target and harass and intimidate people is just so much more impactful and so much more difficult for us to follow up and investigate," said Jones.

Other events in the territory that had a big impact on officers were the premiers conference in July and the royal visit in September as many were called on for security duty.

Jones said a task like guarding the safety of Prince William and Kate is challenging, but also policing's equivalent of the Stanley Cup or Superbowl.

He said he's encouraged that the RCMP, the Public Prosecution Service and the Yukon government are all working together with Yukon communities to revitalize restorative justice in the territory. It's sometimes defined as encouraging the rehabilitation of offenders through a reconciliation with their victims.

Jones said other than a long running program in Watson Lake, it's been happening in "fits and starts" in other communities.

He took part in meetings in Mayo.

"What I found really rewarding about that meeting in Mayo was we had the opportunity to talk about restorative justice and what it would like in Mayo with the mayor and council and the chief and council.

"There's a real desire in that community to build up the program," he said.

Jones said he's travelled to all Yukon communities since arriving in the territory under a year ago where he has spoken to leaders, elders and community members.

"We have our challenges and we have our issues that come up, but generally I think that level of satisfaction is high across the Yukon,"  he said.

"The Yukon fundamentally and at its core is a safe place, it's a safe place to live, and it's a safe place to work and I'm really proud of the role that our people play in making sure that it is, and it remains."