The Manitoba First Nations Police Service continues to grow this year after it took on an 11th community and prepares for more staff and responsibility.
The police force officially took over responsibility for Dakota Plains Wahpeton Nation on June 2. The transfer of service from the RCMP is part of a wider trend in recent years, as MFNPS spokesperson Darryl Hunter told the Sun last month the service would expand to Fisher River Cree Nation in November and discuss expansions to other communities in the coming years.
Chief Donny Smoke of Dakota Plains said at the signing this month that the community chose to switch to MFNPS to be more rooted in Indigenous culture. He said the community foresees a better connection with the police service because it puts an emphasis on that history.
“It’s important to us as a First Nation community to ensure that the safety of our people is first and foremost, and at the same time, making sure that we have the cultural teachings and beliefs attached to it,” said Smoke. “Knowing that the MFNPS has made that a priority — that’s very important to us, making sure we can have that relationship with them on that basis.”
Smoke added that the community is grateful for the recent years the RCMP protected it. He said, however, that MFNPS will be crucial for response times in the area.
“To have the police right in our community during the day, and to have those constant patrols, is going to make a huge difference.”
Dakota Plains, the most recent community to be transferred from RCMP to MFNPS, is part of a larger trend adding to the workload of the Indigenous-focused police force. Last October, the communities of Gambler First Nation and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation also transitioned to the service.
Hunter said the trend is expected to continue.
“What we’re doing is, we’re preparing now for that growth,” he said. “That means adding to our support units, like court units and our HR. That’s a huge thing right now.”
The service hired six additional civilian support staff in the past year, he said, and is still looking for more. And in April, MFNPS graduated 15 new constables through its internal training program.
As forward momentum continues, the MFNPS plans to move to a new headquarters near Brandon in October to accommodate growth. The service is upsizing its office space to make room for additional hires over time, as well as to allow for in-house professional development, an armoury, an evidence room and boardrooms, Hunter told the Sun.
The MFNPS created its own training course for officers in a partnership with Assiniboine College, as the MFNPS has taken the initiative to shape its recruits with its own approach.
The six-month program comes with a special focus on cultural awareness, according to class co-ordinator Cpl. Derek Smoke. The program mixes cultural awareness with basic police training such as academics, the Criminal Code, driver training, firearms training, use of force, and techniques for handcuffing and restraining.
Interim MFNPS Chief Jason Colon commented on the police service’s approach at the graduation this April. He said the constables are taught to become part of the community they cover and get to know people inside, rather than covering a broad range of areas.
“Our police service offers a different type of service — we are a community-based police service,” said Colon. “This was the vision of all of our former chiefs and the reason we were created.”
The third class of recruits is being trained now, in the largest class size since inception.
The MFNPS currently serves Dakota Plains Wahpeton Nation, Birdtail Sioux, Canupawakpa, Long Plain, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, Roseau River, Sandy Bay, Swan Lake, Waywayseecappo, Brokenhead and the Gambler First Nation.
