No room for police

The RNC police chief is working on a plan to resolve staffing issues in Labrador West.

Chief Joe Browne was in town last week for his regular quarterly visit, however, the rotation also included meetings with realtors, construction companies and the mayors.

"We've been looking at the housing market in particular," he explained. "We're short six (members) in total from our full complement and that's from a combination of people who've applied for a transfer - I'm contractually obligated to do it - and retirements."

He pointed out officers are retiring across the province and they're only required to give 30 days notice, so it's difficult to fill the positions as quickly as they're being vacated.

According to the chief, Lab. West should have 23 officers, not including supervisory and support staff, but the numbers may need to be adjusted as the population grows.

"We're keeping our eye on what's happening in the community in terms of growth as well," he said. "Right now the contractors are in and they may be here for a few years and while they might have an impact on policing services, they're not permanent. My understanding is that at peak production the mine may have between 400 and 450 jobs, and that number could easily double or triple if people bring their families. For a smaller community like this, 1,000 extra people is a significant increase."

Chief Brown noted there are officers ready to come to Lab. West to work right now, but there's nowhere for them to live. The availability and affordability of housing, he stated, is causing quite a few headaches for the detachment right now, especially when the majority of the members slated to move to the area are younger officers.

"We're a much younger organization now - we've done heavy recruiting in the last four to five years - so the bulk of our members now have less than five years service, which isn't a problem from a policing perspective because they're very well trained," he said. "The problem is that they're at the lowest end of the salary scale, so now we have people coming here who are at the lowest end of the pay scale having to pay prices that are some of the highest in the province. That's a real problem."

In many cases, Chief Browne said, officers just can't afford to dish out money to pay a $160,000 to $200,000 mortgage, so now the RNC has to be creative in how it will provide assistance to make the transition easier for new recruits.

After meeting with various community leaders and realtors, Chief Browne said he feels more informed about the housing market in Lab. West, which should help him craft a sound business plan to help deal with local staffing issues.

He said the RNC is taking every option under consideration including providing housing for its members.

"We haven't done it for Labrador City and Wabush yet, but we've done it and are doing it right now in Churchill Falls," he said. "We constructed a home there last year - a two-home unit - and a duplex is under construction right now to provide housing for the three members we have there now and the ones we'll have in the future because again there was a real unavailability over there."

Going forward, Chief Browne said there is a two-phase plan. The first, he pointed out, was used this summer when the RNC rotated members into Labrador West from headquarters to augment staffing.

The organization, he said, will continue the rotation for as long as it needs to come up with a long-term solution, in hopes of giving some of its local members a chance to rest after working so much overtime.

"There's a limit to how long it can go on," he said of officers doing double duty. "It's not from a cost perspective, but from an employee burnout perspective. They can get tired and we recognize that and can't let it happen."

The second phase is to find a permanent solution, whether it comes in the form of a rent or mortgage subsidy or acquisition of housing.

Chief Browne recognizes the RNC doesn't have a lot of time to get a plan into action - houses and apartments are snatched up almost as quickly as they become available - so finding a permanent solution will be a high priority for the force.

In the meantime, he said, Lab. West is in good hands and he has no concerns about public safety.

"The members are doing a great job," he stated confidently. "They always have. They're covering the shifts - sometimes they don't have to work overtime because there's sufficient officers working - and they're able to tend to the calls for service we get here. There are no calls being left over, the investigations are being done well, and I think generally this area is a safe community. There's a very strong community spirit."

Wabush mayor Jim Farrell met with Chief Browne when he was in town last week and he was happy to see the RNC making every effort to secure housing for its new officers.

He said young people coming right out of school can't afford big mortgages or rental rates, and there needs to be a subsidy to help the officers get off to a good start.

He believes the chief will do everything possible to make it easier for the new members and hopes the whole issue will be put to rest very soon.

"He understands the issues that are here now with the increased housing prices and also understands we may need an increase in policing services," he said thoughtfully of the chief. "We have a bigger population now than we ever had before and people are working 20 days straight with no time off, which is fine in the short term, but it can't go on indefinitely."

The chief, Mr. Farrell noted, assured the mayors of Lab. West help was on the way and he hopes to see a stronger and healthier force in the weeks and months ahead.