Yesterday was a big day for the Charlottetown Police Service. With the release of the comprehensive review by Verheul & Associates, we now begin the task of implementing the recommendations contained in the report. There was certainly enough criticism to go around in the report, and much of it was not unexpected.
This review was unlike anything the CPS has undergone before. Many people have referenced a process that took place about sixteen years ago, but that was a limited, internal review and probably resulted in very little real change.
Yesterday, I answered the question of low morale by pointing out that morale in any organization is a function of employee engagement and professional fulfillment, among other things. The rank and file of the CPS was fully engaged in the development of this report and its recommendations. The reaction from the police union to the report has been positive so far, and I hope we’re already on our way to rebuilding morale.
My own approach is not to assign blame and point fingers, but move forward to solve the problems that were identified. The culture and practices of the CPS have evolved over many decades to address the needs of a city that no longer exists. The department was simply not organized in a way that effective leadership was possible in today’s policing environment.
My committee will be focused almost exclusively on implementing the report’s recommendations over the foreseeable future. The goal is to break the small town mould of the pre-amalgamation CPS, and develop a professional, accountable and motivated force for the larger, more complex community we have become.
The report is available on the City’s website, but it was announced at the press conference yesterday that it would only be posted there for thirty days. I don’t know who made that decision or why, because it makes no sense to me. It’s a public document now and I have posted it online where it will be available, well, forever.
Very eloquently put, Rob.
May I say (again) that the city is lucky to have you.
I’d like to know if the option of disbanding the municipally-run police force in favour of outsourcing to the RCMP has been considered.
Peter,
It has not been discussed formally — at least not in my eight weeks as Chair of the Police Committee, nor, to my knowledge, in any other formal forum since I began my term.
The conventional wisdom seems to be that RCMP is quite a bit more expensive, and not necessarily more effective. Personally I think we will be better off if our municipal force can make improvements and regain some of the lost trust.
The City of Moncton is considering reverting back to a municipal force after 10 years of contracting the RCMP. Interesting reading about their situation here and here.