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Chief of Police Report This past year, there were a number of changes within your Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS). There were additional and internal personnel changes, infrastructure additions and the commencement of the installation of our radio system. However, all of the positive developments have certainly been overshadowed by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT
Roland Morrison, Chief of Police
Northeast Region Jeannie Burke of Fort Severn First Nation assumed command in October 2019 after the retirement of Eric Cheechoo who served our NAN communities for 40 years. In our Northwest Region, Merle Loon a member of Mishkeegogamang First Nation assumed command in March 2020.
Our current funding agreement allows for the hiring of fifty-five officers over a three-year period. This is accompanied by a commitment from our funders for an additional twenty-four officers over an additional two-year period after our current funding agreement concludes this fiscal year. With the increase in officers, NAPS has been able to increase our officer complement in our remote communities which has been managements first priority. As we are in our third year of hiring, NAPS is required to hire twenty-four additional officers this fiscal year. Needless to say, NAPS employees involved in the hiring process have been extremely busy ensuring we meet our hiring quota.
Along with the increase in new officers, the communities of Sachigo Lake and Bearskin Lake will have new detachments for their communities. These new detachments provide the communities a police detachment that will remain operational for many years to come, will be fully modernized and will possess the ability to provide a safe and secure detachment for our community’s members and officers. However due to COVID-19, the completion of the detachments has been on hold but both are nearly complete and we should expect to occupy these detachments later this year. The Federal Government announced that the availability for infrastructure projects to support the First Nation Policing Program. NAPS management is fully aware that many of our detachments need to be replaced. In anticipation of the available funding that is to flow next year, NAPS has already submitted costing for small, medium, large and road access detachments.
With the hiring of additional frontline officers, it is was also necessary to increase our Sergeant positions within our three regions. In our larger and more populated communities, we have added new additional Sergeants positions to increase our supervisory capacity. In addition to new Sergeants, NAPS have seen changes in our Regional Inspectors positions.In our
NAPS Radio Project Manager – Rod Brown has been diligently working with our Regional Inspectors to obtain permission from community leadership before attending their community to complete the installation of the radio communication equipment. The following communities now have an operational radio system; Keewaywin, Wunnumin Lake, Poplar Hill
