The National Police Federation (NPF), representing BC Mounties, said it was “disappointed” in Premier John Horgan’s decision to involve them in his new pandemic-related travel ban..“Earlier today, we wrote to Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, to express our disappointment and grave concerns about the province’s proposed police participation in enforcing a COVID-19 ban on non-essential travel outside of the province,” Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation said in a statement Thursday..“Since the official announcement of the travel restrictions, the NPF has been hearing loud and clear from a growing number of RCMP members asking us to oppose this proposed order. In addition to shouldering an already heavy and increasing workload, participating in enforcement roadblocks puts even greater pressure on limited resources and puts our members at further risk of exposure and possible infection.”.Equally important, said Sauvé, is police are continuing to enhance and build on their relationships with vulnerable and racialized communities, and Mounties don’t want anything to mess that up..“Last week, the Government of Ontario announced a similar measure and, that same day, Ontario police services took the unusual step of roundly rejecting that order,” Sauvé said..“They explained in no uncertain terms that Ontario police officers had no appetite to act on enhanced powers that are typically found in police states, and that doing so would erode a currently fragile public trust, especially with vulnerable and racialized communities..“Finally, we hope all parties support our RCMP members towards the sustainability of stable and consistent policing across the province.”.The National Police Federation was certified in 2019 to represent 20,000 RCMP members serving across Canada and internationally . The NPF is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada; the second largest in North America and is the first independent national association to represent RCMP members..The NPF is focused on improving public safety in Canada by negotiating the first-ever Collective Agreement for RCMP officers, and on increasing resources, equipment, training, and other supports for members who, the NPF says, “have been under-funded for far too long.”.Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard..mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
