The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have forwarded a recent arrest case in Sheshatshiu to the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT-NL), the province’s police oversight agency, in response to public criticism regarding the use of force. A statement from the police force released on Thursday mentioned that no additional information could be provided during the ongoing process.
Following a protest at the RCMP detachment in the Labrador First Nation community, where community members gathered for the release of a man arrested the previous night, allegations of excessive force by police officers arose based on a video recorded by the man’s girlfriend at the scene.
SIRT-NL, operating under provincial legislation, has the discretion to investigate serious incidents and may choose to refer the matter to the RCMP’s internal complaints process. Despite attempts to reach out to SIRT-NL for comment, no response has been received as of Thursday evening.
In a meeting held with Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Chief Eugene Hart and Innu Nation Grand Chief Jodie Ashini, the RCMP expressed a commitment to engage in crucial discussions directly with the community.
Moreover, the Innu Nation leadership called for the transfer of two of the three officers involved in the arrest out of the community and requested that they be placed on administrative duties pending an investigation. They also urged the provincial and federal governments to enable the Innu to establish their own police service, citing the current provincial policing legislation’s limitations.
In response to the video depicting the arrest incident, Innu leaders emphasized the importance of federal government involvement in swiftly reaching a police service agreement. They also highlighted the need for the Innu to be included in the province’s review of policing legislation, which is currently underway without confirmed Innu participation.
Scheduled to meet with Labrador RCMP Inspector Danny Williams again next week, Innu Nation leaders are actively advocating for changes to policing practices within their communities.
