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Little Pine introduces reserve security force By Josh Greschner Staff Reporter
In the first step toward self-administered policing on Little Pine First Nation, security watchmen have begun patrols. Photo by Laurel Sapp
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Slow start for NB building permits ... Officials still optimistic By John Cairns Staff Reporter
Building permits are off to an ice-cold start in North Battleford to start 2018. Numbers for January, which were presented at Monday night’s council meeting, saw North Battleford issue four permits for $58,000, way down from the nine permits for $813,000 issued for the
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same month a year earlier. The permits issued in January included two permits for $31,500, one new garage permit for $20,000, and one permit for demolition or removal for $6,500. City manager Jim Puffalt did not seem overly concerned by the slow start, noting much more activity is on the way. “Lots of exciting stuff is coming,” Puffalt said.
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said not everything that community safety officers elsewhere are responsible for, particularly traffic control, necessarily apply to Little Pine. Pete said he hopes the second phase will also allow officers to enforce minor Criminal Code offences. Alvin Nighttraveller is a guard with Little Pine Security. He recently completed training in Saskatoon. Training consisted of a week-long course for eight hours per day. Pete said additional training would be supplemented by online courses. Training included going over the types of crimes that occur at a place like Little Pine, how to handle situations, and even training pertaining to bomb threats, Nighttraveller said. “I enjoyed it,” Nighttraveller said of the course. “There was lots to learn.” He is also chief of Little Pine’s volunteer fire department. Checkosis said grassfires have been a problem, and there is a fire truck, in addition to a security truck, on reserve. Some First Nations police forces have had trouble establishing themselves in the past. Checkosis and Pete say officials have been willing to consult, particularly with the RCMP in Cut Knife. Continued on Page 6
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After community leaders spent a few months in talks with RCMP and government officials, watchmen of Little Pine Security made their first round of patrols on the night of Friday, Feb. 16. Little Pine Security is one phase toward eventually establishing an independent police force on Little Pine First Nation and nearby Poundmaker Cree Nation. Richard Checkosis is the Little Pine councillor in charge of the justice portfolio, among other duties. He said he hopes the security force will “take our reserve back from crime we’ve seen in the past few years,” including what he calls “big city crime.” The goal of the security force is to patrol the reserve, keep an eye on public buildings, such as the new band office and the school, and check on elders who are home alone. Checkosis said security guards have the training to detain, but their role is to surveil, report, protect scenes if crimes occur, and call police if needed. “We don’t want these guys in any danger at all,” Checkosis said. Community members, leaders and elders have found crime to be a persistent problem, including
thefts, alcohol- and drugrelated crime, even murder. Accessing police has also been a problem. There are two RCMP members on reserve, along with a detachment in Cut Knife. Elder Jacob Pete is a former RCMP chief of police who has been leading the talks to establish selfadministered policing. One repeated problem at Little Pine has been delayed response times to 9-1-1 calls. Pete said he heard a story at an elder’s meeting. “Someone was stealing from an elder’s car,” Pete said. “He phoned 9-1-1 and he kept it marked on his calendar. It was one year and four days they went to check on him. “Hopefully we can prevent some of that stuff from taking that long.” There are currently five security guards (watchmen), who work 12-hour shifts from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Pete said security being visible in the community should also deter crime. “Providing a high profile patrolling presence” is the first responsibility listed on a job description of security guards. The social aspect of security is also noted, including “being approachable” and communicating effectively. A second phase of selfadministered policing will be establishing positions resembling community safety officers, but Pete
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