Police service level promised to remain steady despite officer shortage

Taylor Clark

Although the Fraternité des policiers et des policières de Gatineau revealed that the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau was short 40 officers, Gatineau’s acting mayor Daniel Champagne insisted the public service was “not compromised.”

“I want to reassure citizens that we currently offer services. We are not out of service; I’ll put it like that,” Champagne told reporters during a press briefing following a Comité exécutif meeting on March 26.

With the challenges currently facing recruitment, Champagne said the City has been taking initiatives to improve the situation, such as creating a recruitment committee, communicating directly with potential candidates at CEGEPs and trade fairs, and working on attraction to Gatineau.

“We are very, very active in resolving this situation, and I am confident that the coming months and the coming years will allow us to ensure that we respond favourably to this request,” said Champagne.

President of the Commission de la sécurité publique Olive Kamanyana said the problem of recruitment has slowly spread far beyond Gatineau.

It is not a case of lack of will, but there is a problem of lacking resources to recruit,” said Kamanyana. “The problem will not only have to be resolved at the education level, but also at the provincial level. It’s not just the cities.”

Rather than focusing merely on salary, Kamanyana said the issue needed to be discussed and resolved on a larger scope and include a focus on recruitment, education, and training programs.

The commission’s plan, which Kamanyana stated would be adopted soon, will also examine the workforce to understand the work, the human resources needed, as well as the capacity to offer services.

“It is extremely important that citizens are well served by our police force.”

Photo caption: Gatineau acting mayor Daniel Champagne assures the community its police services remains functional despite the Fraternité des policiers et des policières de Gatineau’s assertion of officer shortage. 

Photo credit: Screenshot from Mêlée de presse du 26 mars 2024 - Comité exécutif