Penticton First Nations Reserve Police Force Quits

[Aaron]

CBC.CA

PENTICTON, B.C. - The entire police force of a British Columbia reserve that was the scene of a triple slaying in October resigned on Friday, saying it needs weapons to deal with growing violence.

Established 13 years ago as an experiment in tribal policing, the Penticton Indian Reserve volunteer force is neither officially recognized nor funded by the province or the federal government.

Its five members haven't received pay, benefits or weapons during that time and say they're tired of waiting for an agreement on those issues.

"All five members of our tribal police force are handing in all our equipment, which is basically two pairs of handcuffs, a baton, and our uniforms," said Const. Roger Pierre.
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Tribal police say officer safety is the biggest issue as they deal with rising violence in the community of about 900 people. In October, people on the reserve in southern B.C. Interior were shocked after a shooting left three people dead and three others injured.

That was the last straw for many of the volunteer officers, said Pierre.

"I have mixed emotions about it, but we're going to walk away with our heads held high, because we did the best we could under the circumstances," he said.

Stewart Phillip, chief of the Penticton Indian Band, said the need for a tribal police force is greater than ever, but that he supports their decision to resign.

"They've been working in extremely risky situations. They're not allowed to carry firearms, and there is no money available for salaries," said Phillip, who added that he's still trying to negotiate funding and recognition for the force.

This is amazing. Typically Canadian Natives are extremely reluctant to police their own and shun almost any form of authority in their culture. Yet this Reserve not only had a police force, but they kept it for 13 years! And these guys did it without weapons or pay.

Now why can't the RCMP police the Reserves? I can understand why they'd be reluctant too, typically Reserves are rife with violence and alcoholism. A very dangerous place for a cop.

[Jalinth]

This is amazing. Typically Canadian Natives are extremely reluctant to police their own and shun almost any form of authority in their culture. Yet this Reserve not only had a police force, but they kept it for 13 years! And these guys did it without weapons or pay.

Now why can't the RCMP police the Reserves? I can understand why they'd be reluctant too, typically Reserves are rife with violence and alcoholism. A very dangerous place for a cop.

My understanding is politics - its not the RCMP making these decisions, it is the Solicitor General and his ilk. But the lack of policing makes for some communities that are just nightmares.

The entire Akwesasne reserve is a prime example. It extends between Ontario, Quebec, and New York state and is essentially a lawless place. Smugglers use it regularly and a chief was driven out after his house was torched (partially due to his anti-contraband stand).

Many of these problems are caused more by the political end (incredibly disfunctional band council that act like old-time mayors (think Chicago or Tamney Hall in New York) - you get goodies if you are a supporter, zip if you're not). So unless they reform the governance of these bands, policing will only mask the problems, not stop them.

[Aaron]

My understanding is politics - its not the RCMP making these decisions, it is the Solicitor General and his ilk. But the lack of policing makes for some communities that are just nightmares.

My understanding is that as part of the Indian Act, the Federal Government or Provincal Governments have no authority on the reserves.

The entire Akwesasne reserve is a prime example. It extends between Ontario, Quebec, and New York state and is essentially a lawless place. Smugglers use it regularly and a chief was driven out after his house was torched (partially due to his anti-contraband stand).

The reserve at Constance Lake in Northern Ontario is quite similar. We were deployed up there one winter for training and the place was even scummier than East Hastings Street in Vancouver. Burned and trashed houses, the youth were stealing all our fuel etc. But the Cheif and Band Council all had new trucks and snowmobiles, and they actually had siding on their houses.

Many of these problems are caused more by the political end (incredibly disfunctional band council that act like old-time mayors (think Chicago or Tamney Hall in New York) - you get goodies if you are a supporter, zip if you're not). So unless they reform the governance of these bands, policing will only mask the problems, not stop them.

Part of this may simply be that the people on the Councils have absolutely no education. They don't know how to properly run a community, and they turn to embezzellment and corruption.