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By Susan McNeil
A report ordered by the province into the operations of Prince Albert’s city police has been made public with 45 recommendations made.
The recommendations cover a wide range of areas, such as expanding the Criminal Investigative Division to include more than homicides, a move that should be done immediately, according to the report.
The report was sparked by a number of in-custody deaths in a relatively short time frame last year.
Other recommendations can be bundled into the concept that PAPS needs to refine and improve a lot of internal processes, including how it handles risk management, how it communicates with the public, and the roles played by the police commission and the police officers’ union. There should be a written description for every job in the force, the report said.
The report specifically states the mayor should not be part of the police commission, something that is the case right now.
Rather, city representation should come from councillors and care should be taken to avoid any notion of political interference in the commission.
“The PABPC (Board of Police Commissioners) should have a policy that clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of the Commission and the PAPS, when an election, particularly a municipal election, is being held. The Police Commission and by extension, the Police Service should be non-partisan throughout any election,” says the 20th recommendation.
The commission itself needs some modification, with three-year terms that are staggered and clearly laid out roles and responsibilities for commission members.
Because the province provides substantial funding to the police, it also should have one appointee on the commission.
Multiple recommendations are made to improve communication and relations between the police force and the members association. Regular meetings should be held and include an agenda, minutes and a method of distributing the minutes.
Two “strong recommendations” are made. One is to separate the role of human resources and finance into two jobs rather than a combined one and the other is to use an independent hiring process to find candidates for the next chief, after Jonathan Bergen’s departure weeks ago.
The next chief should be hired from outside the force with more focus on administrative, interpersonal and leadership skills along with having some policing experience, the province said.
paNOW has reached out to the city, PAGC, the police service and the union for comment on the report.
The full list of 45 recommendations appears below.
Response from police association
Police association president Nolan Carter issued a statement after the recommendations were released.
“On behalf of the Prince Albert Police Association we feel that the recommendations that are finally out from the Ministry are a way to move forward in a lengthy process that has not been easy for any of our members at the Police Service. This includes all Sworn and civilian members,” Carter said.
Carter noted some of the recommendations have already been tackled by Interim Chief Patrick Nogier and others are currently being looked at.
“Although budget will restrict certain recommendations, the hope from the Association is that the City of Prince Albert, the Police Board, and the Ministry will step up and continue to acknowledge and support not only the Prince Albert Police Service but in turn the City itself,” Carter added.
Interim police chief weighs in
In a release, Nogier said the service is dedicated to serving and protecting the community and recognizes the importance of improving its practices and ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
“We appreciate the efforts put forth by the independent review panel in assessing our organization and providing valuable recommendations to enhance our effectiveness,” he said in the release.
Nogier added top brass are fully aware the recommendations will have a significant impact on operations and financial management but they are steadfast in their determination to rise to the challenge and implement change effectively and efficiently.
“We will actively engage with stakeholders, including the Prince Albert Police Association, our governance bodies, community organizations, and elected officials, to seek their input and address any concerns they may have regarding the implementation of the recommendations and their implementation,” Nogier wrote.