‘Colonial model of policing’ fails many Indigenous communities, study finds
OTTAWA — Many Indigenous communities lack policing services that meet their safety and security needs despite long-standing efforts to remedy the shortcomings, a federally commissioned report says.
Instead, they’re stuck with a colonial policing model that overlooks Indigenous cultural traditions and fails to create the bonds of trust needed for successful police work, the report concludes.
Public Safety Canada asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assess the role of police services in First Nations and Inuit communities with the aim of identifying promising approaches. The non-profit council assembled a panel of 11 experts from disciplines including law, criminology, mental health and policing, and headed by Kimberly Murray, the former executive director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Their report notes that crime rates in First Nations communities often exceed those elsewhere in Canada, and Indigenous people are overrepresented in Canada’s courts and jails. It also stresses that Indigenous people are also more likely to be victims of crime and face health and social inequalities that hamper policing efforts where they live.