Plan to hire civilians to bolster Fredericton Police Force draws criticism

Delays in hiring more officers to fill the ranks at the Fredericton Police Force have prompted the department to tap retired officers to step up in the interim.

The force plans to spend $400,000 to hire up to six retired officers for a six-month period starting this month.

Dubbed the community engagement unit, the team of civilian hires will be contracted through Garda security services to provide support to front-line officers in addressing lower priority calls like theft and vandalism.

But the plan is being criticized by a group that lobbies on behalf of police officers. The concern is the contracted employees could be put in situations they're not equipped to handle.

"These lower priority calls, sometimes they're not what they appear to be," said Bob Davidson, labour analyst for the New Brunswick Police Association.

"And what happens is when an officer responds to them, and that client doesn't respond well, it can develop into something beyond what the scope or understanding of that call was. And then that person as a civilian has no powers of arrest or an ability to handle the situation like a police officer, so that's a major concern."

The community engagement unit came before city council Monday. Council approval was required to reallocate $400,000 in projected salary savings for 2025 in order to fund the pilot project.

Speaking after the meeting, Fredericton Police Chief Gary Forward said the new unit is being borne out of a need to temporarily bolster staff while the department works to hire additional officers.

Forward said those challenges with recruitment have come at the same time the force has seen a spike in the number of calls for incidents like theft and other property crimes.

He said if someone reported a lower-level crime, members of the new unit could respond and take statements, allowing police officers to respond to fewer of those calls.

Forward said the goal is to have the new unit up and running by next month, and to operate for six months. He said the police force expects it will have 12 new police officers on staff next summer after they graduate from the police academy.

Growing use of contracted security

Garda was already under contract with the city for its community safety services unit.

That unit was formed last year, with security guards patrolling the city's trails and business districts as part of efforts to enforce bylaws and deter petty crime. Council has voted to increase next year's budget for that program.

Aside from the potential risks of civilians doing police work, Davidson said he's concerned their use by the city hints at an attempt to pinch pennies when it comes to public safety.

"Basically, what's going on with those kind of programs is to try to have policing done at a cheaper rate," Davidson said.

"The bottom line is, ideally, police functions should be done by police officers."