Giving carbines to peace officers could be step toward N.B. police force, minister suggests

New Brunswick wildlife officers and other inspection and enforcement officers with the Department of Justice and Public Safety will soon be armed with carbines and Tasers, and wearing body cameras, in what could be a first step toward a provincial police force.

Public Safety Minister Kris Austin announced the new "tools" on Thursday.

"The RCMP is the New Brunswick provincial police force, but this initiative will not only keep officers safe, it also supports increased law enforcement capacity within the province," he said in a statement.

Asked in an interview Friday whether this could be a prelude to a new provincial force, Austin didn't say no.

"I've said from Day 1, since I was sworn into cabinet, all options are on the table," he said, and the province still isn't sure of the federal government's plans for the RCMP and local policing long term.

It's all in an effort to ensure that our department is ready for the task at hand now, and as well, should directions change.- Kris Austin, minister of public safety

"So you know there's a multitude of reasons why this is a necessary step.

"It's all in an effort to ensure that our department is ready for the task at hand now, and as well, should directions change, that we have those assets for a new direction, if that's one that is determined down the road."

Last April, Austin told a committee of the legislature the government believed a provincial police force was "really not feasible," because the cost would be "extremely high" and the transition could take a decade.

Carbines, used by the RCMP, are semi-automatic, short-barrelled rifles that have a longer and more accurate range than pistols or shotguns. 

Comes amid unrest with RCMP services

The announcement comes amid unrest with RCMP services in rural areas across the province.

The mayor of Saint Andrews has said public confidence in policing in his region is "at an all-time low," while some communities, such as Fundy Shores and Eastern Charlotte, are exploring their policing options.

New federal Public Safety Minister and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc plans to take a closer look at RCMP services for municipalities. He has already been in talks with provincial and municipal governments unhappy with the services they're receiving from the national force, he said.

"Jurisdictions are expressing concerns and frustrations," LeBlanc said. "So one of the logical outcomes of that is that they set up their own model of policing. So if they're saying that to us, maybe we're saying it to them, but no decisions have been made.

"We're not about to to act rashly or high-handedly or unilaterally in this space, but we're certainly willing to have conversations."

LeBlanc believes setting up a new force would cost more, but provinces are free to do so.

"It is fundamentally their jurisdiction."

Need to be able to match threats, in worst-case scenario

Austin said the performance of his department's roughly 200 peace officers over the past three years has been "impressive" and showed they can do more to support police.

The province has also seen an increase in crime and an increase in heavier-calibre weapons being seized, he said.

"We have to ensure that our officers have the tools they need to be able to match those threats in a worst-case scenario."

Peace officers are currently equipped with "sidearms," body armour, pepper spray, batons and handcuffs.

Department spokesperson Geoffrey Downey said the decision to add Tasers and carbines is "about an employer doing its due diligence to care for the safety of its employees."

Austin declined to say under what type of circumstances a wildlife officer, for example, would use a carbine, or describe a scenario where one might have proven been useful in the past.

"I'm not going to get into hypotheticals of when and where," he said. "There's no way to know what type of threats they're going to be facing, and that's the point."

$1.36M cost, 'rigorous' training

The initiative will cost about $1.36 million — $560,000 for 115 carbines, ammunition and equipment to carry them in vehicles; $300,000 for 100 conducted energy weapons, commonly known as Tasers, including holsters and cartridges; and $502,000 over five years for 140 body cameras.

Some officers who have passed the necessary training have already been equipped with Tasers and body cameras.

Austin could not immediately say how soon the officers will be armed with carbines. They must successfully complete mandatory training first, he said.

It will be the same training police officers receive, the Atlantic Police Academy's firearms course, which covers firearm safety, marksmanship and tactical skills, said Austin.

"It's pretty rigorous to ensure that the officers … know how to use them, know when to use them, and be able to effectively and safely use these weapons when needed," he said.

As to why the department opted for carbines over other types of firearms, Austin reiterated that the officers need to be able to match any threat and keep themselves safe.

The use of carbines — and why Moncton Mounties didn't have them during the 2014 shootings — was at the centre of a Canada Labour Code trial in 2017.

The gunman was armed with an M305.308 semi-automatic rifle and a Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun. The officers who responded were carrying their duty pistols.

Constables Fabrice Gevaudan, Doug Larche and Dave Ross were killed. Two more RCMP officers were shot but survived.

A judge found the RCMP guilty of failing to provide adequate use-of-force equipment and related user training to the Moncton Mounties. The national force was ordered to pay a penalty of $550,000.

Concerns among First Nations

The weapons announcement has raised concerns among some First Nations, according to Derek Simon, the legal counsel for Mi'gmawe'l Tplu'taqnn Inc., which represents nine Mi'kmaw communities.

He said wildlife officers, in particular, come into contact with community members when they're exercising their treaty rights to hunt and fish, which can lead to conflicts.

He questioned whether the officers will have adequate training on the weapons and on how to de-escalate situations.

"We saw with the.shooting deaths of Rodney Levi and Chantel Moore, some of the problems that can arise when armed peace officers come into contact with Indigenous peoples," said Simon.

"And now … the province is expanding who can carry these types of weapons," he said, noting carbines can "do a lot of damage" to humans.

Some community members are already afraid to exercise their treaty rights after being confronted by wildlife officers "quite aggressively," Simon alleged. "This is going to be a real deterrent to people." 

Austin said all peace officers are trained in de-escalation and how to use the most appropriate way to resolve an issue. He also said the officers won't be "walking around" with the weapons; they will be in their vehicles.

80% of survey respondents support greater role

The Justice and Public Safety officers are responsible for enforcing provincial and federal legislation in the areas of fish, wildlife, environment and natural resources; commercial and off-road vehicles; illegal cannabis and tobacco; as well as criminal code, controlled drugs and substances and firearms offences.

Peace officers also "work closely with all policing agencies in a support capacity when required," the department noted.

They are involved with the RCMP's tactical traffic enforcement unit responsible for highway enforcement and the joint-force integrated enforcement units, which investigate low- to mid-level drug dealers.

According to the department, 80 per cent of New Brunswickers who responded to a 2023 Policing and Public Safety Study said peace officers "could do more to ensure a safe and secure province."

The random telephone survey was conducted between April 26 and May 1 with 400 adults, according to the department spokesperson. Downey did not say whether people were asked specifically about weapons.

All officers with Justice and Public Safety will also wear body cameras in the field now, as officers from many police forces do.

"These cameras aim at strengthening transparency, accountability and public trust," the department said.

"They also help resolve public complaints more quickly, improve interactions with the public and improve evidence gathering."