Policing transition expected to be finalized by end of summer

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A new timeframe has been set for the Bathurst Police Force to take over policing from RCMP in areas of Bathurst, at no additional cost to the city.

Bathurst director of corporate communications Luc Foulem said in an email statement planning meetings between the Bathurst Police Force and province are ongoing as the formal details of the transfer of responsibilities are finalized.

“These consultations should be concluded in the near term, leading to an official transfer of policing responsibilities before the end of the 2024 summer,” he said.

The City of Bathurst applied to the province to take over policing from the RCMP in Ward 2, the areas added to the municipality’s boundaries under the local governance reform, and were given the green light to budget for an April 1, 2024, transfer of responsibility.

That date has come and gone, but Foulem said there will be no “negative financial impact” to the city.

Department of Justice and Public Safety spokesperson Allan Dearing confirmed in an email statement there won’t be financial repercussions.

In a statement he said municipalities like Bathurst that have received approval from the Minister of Justice and Public Safety to increase their policing territory will continue to be policed by the RCMP until the official transfer, but will no longer be billed by the province for RCMP service as of April 1.

“Communities are strongly encouraged to utilize that additional revenue towards their new policing service delivery model,” the statement says.

It says the department is working with affected communities and police forces to prepare for the transition, including a communication strategy “for communities and key stakeholders.”

The department says there is currently no set date for the transfer between forces.

“The RCMP will continue to police the area until the transition is finalized,” the statement says.

The cost associated with RCMP policing was passed on to the city by the province for 2024, as it was in other communities across the province, as part of the reform process.

The population of Ward 2 is about 3,000, based on figures from 2022, and includes parts of North Tetagouche, Big River and Miramichi Avenue.

Continuing with RCMP coverage in those areas would have cost the city $756,000 for 2024, a $22,000 increase compared to the cost in 2023.

With permission from the province to switch policing in those areas to the municipal force, the city budgeted $189,151 to pay RCMP for the first four months of the year. It also budgeted the cost of hiring new officers, and purchasing and outfitting a new police vehicle.

Deputy chief Roger Melanson said in a past interview with Brunswick News the force will hire four new patrol officers to cover the new territory under the expansion.

-With files from Brunswick News