North end residents want to see more Mounties

Residents and councillors of Moncton's Ward 3 say a stronger RCMP presence is needed to curb rising thefts, vandalism

Published Feb 09, 2024 • 3 minute read

More than 100 residents, mostly from Ward 3, attended a town hall meeting on Wednesday to voice their safety concerns to city councilors and RCMP. Photo by Submitted

A group of north end residents would like to see a larger RCMP presence in their neighborhood as they see increased thefts and break-ins.

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On Wednesday night, more than 100 people, mostly from Ward 3, attended a town hall meeting on public safety. The meeting was hosted at Legends Event Venue by Ward 3 councillors Bryan Butler and Dave Steeves in response to requests from residents.

Several councillors from other wards were also in attendance and Superintendent Benoit Jolette of the Codiac Regional RCMP was on hand to answer questions from residents who stepped up to the mircophone.

Both Butler and Steeves said the number of RCMP officers patrolling in their ward is not adequate for the growing population. In an interview, Butler said the current number of officers is less than it was in the late 1990s.

“I’m a firm believer that we need more boots on the street,” he said.

Jolette said between 2022 and 2023, the crime rate went up 1.7 per cent. He noted some types of crimes, such as violent crimes, had gone down, while thefts, break-ins, vandalism, and other property-related crimes had gone up.

Danielle Adams, who lives on Meadowdale Drive, was one of the residents at the meeting. She said her family were the victims of a break-in last October, and her purse was stolen. She almost did not report it, but friends told her to call RCMP. They came and investigated, though no arrests have been made.

She said the number of thefts is most likely higher than the statistics show because people often do not think their situation would be taken seriously.

“They’re just discouraged,” she said. “I totally can relate to that frustration.”

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When Adams first bought her house 12 years ago, she did not hear of many crimes in the north end, but recently it has become more apparent, she said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Jolette educated the residents on how to prevent thefts, such as locking doors and making sure the area was well lit. Jolette told people to report suspicious behaviour like someone taking pictures of vehicles or homes. If they witness a crime taking place, they should report it as an emergency, and avoid getting involved.

The RCMP superintendent also encouraged people to report thefts or property damage, even if it was minor, because it helps police to determine where to place their resources.

“Even if you have a garden gnome stolen from your garden, give us a call,” he said in an interview.

Adams said she would like to see more officers patrolling in the north end, but there are some things that cannot be addressed at the RCMP or municipal level. At the meeting, the residents heard from RCMP there was one person who had been arrested close to 30 times for similar offences.

In order to deter people from committing property crimes, Adams said there should be stricter judicial legislation and penalties, which would require involvement from provincial and federal elected officials.

There were no MPs or MLAs present at Wednesday’s meeting, but Adams said she hopes they will attend future meetings to join the discussion.

Steeves said the Codiac Regional Policing Authority and the RCMP have been asked to complete a workload analysis to see if more RCMP members should be patrolling in Ward 3.

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Residents also raised traffic concerns on many of the streets in the ward for speeding, failing to stop at stop signs, and noisy vehicles.

Steeves and Butler said they would like to see a traffic unit for the Moncton area to enforce vehicle laws. Other traffic calming measures such as speed bumps and providing more roads out of the ward onto major highways to control traffic flow were discussed at the meeting.

The next step for the two ward councillors is to prepare a report to present to council and to consider having a future town hall meeting. No date has been set for the next meeting, said Steeves.

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