Moncton’s city council has given the green light for additional training for its community safety officers, anticipating an upcoming authorization from the New Brunswick government to grant them expanded authority. The council members unanimously approved a budget of $80,000 on Monday to fund training sessions scheduled for this autumn at the Atlantic Police Academy. The training will encompass various subjects including criminal law, the proper use of force, and de-escalation techniques.
Mayor Shawn Crossman is optimistic that the provincial government will soon endorse the city’s longstanding appeal to designate its community safety officers as peace officers. This potential change would potentially empower the officers to carry additional equipment such as handcuffs, have the ability to detain individuals, and enforce provincial laws like the Mental Health Act and Trespass Act. The specific powers and equipment details are still under consideration by city officials.
Crossman expressed to the media that the presence of these officers in the community will enhance security and visibility, emphasizing their role in handling situations related to trespassing or mental health issues which would otherwise require Codiac Regional RCMP intervention. The objective is to streamline responses to such incidents and alleviate delays in RCMP responses, allowing the police to focus on more pressing matters within the city.
Charles LeBlanc, Moncton’s director of bylaw enforcement, highlighted that the approved training aligns with the anticipated requirements set by the province for the Public Safety minister to designate city community safety officers as special constables. Special constables, as defined under the Police Act, possess the powers of peace officers. LeBlanc emphasized the significant responsibilities that come with such a designation and clarified that while the community safety officers have undergone a one-year police foundations program, they will not have the full authority of police officers and will not be equipped with firearms.
In 2021, Moncton expanded its community safety officer program from what was previously a bylaw officer role primarily focused on tasks like parking enforcement. Currently, the city has 19 community safety officers and nine bylaw officers, all appointed by the council. The upcoming training sessions, to be conducted in Moncton later this month and in November, have been developed by the police academy based on a program for peace officers in St. John’s, N.L., as there was no existing one in New Brunswick. The council has allocated funds from a contingency budget for this purpose, with the training costs being covered from the available funds prior to the recent council meeting.