First Nation police service opts into Ontario framework in ‘historic’ agreement
Global News
Opting into the provincial framework comes with financial aid from the province and allows the First Nation police to respond to crimes it previously had to hand over to the OPP.
Ontario has signed a “historic” agreement with the country’s largest First Nations policing service that will expand the incidents the force can respond to, double its complement of officers and subject it to the same standards as other provincial police departments.
On Tuesday afternoon, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner stood with a number of First Nations leaders to announce just over $500 million in funding and the signing of an agreement that will ultimately see the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service (NAPS) rise to 500 officers able to tackle complex crimes like homicide.
“This is a historic day for policing in the province of Ontario,” said Kerzner. “We’re proud to mark this momentous occasion alongside First Nations partners to help modernize and strengthen the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service to keep communities safe and protected.”
The agreement will allow NAPS to respond to crimes which it had previously relied upon Ontario Provincial Police officers to handle.
“There were some things that were prohibited for us in providing services,” NAPS board chair Frank McKay said.
“We couldn’t do our own investigation if there was a homicide, we couldn’t have a K9 unit, we had to depend on the OPP to provide those specialized services that we required at that time.”
Local police will also be able to form other specialized units to tackle specific issues like drugs.
Through the agreement, Ontario essentially recognizes NAPS as the official service responsible for the area and commits to giving it the funding necessary to provide effective policing.
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