THE RIGHT CHOICESEnsuring Safe and Secure
Communities
Mr. Speaker, to complement these initiatives and support safe
and secure communities, we are announcing a range of investments
in justice, policing and violence prevention.
This year, we are investing $10 million to bolster the Royal
Newfoundland Constabulary and the RCMP. We are investing
$3.1 million of this to strengthen the police presence
throughout the province. This includes $516,000 to hire four new
RCMP officers in the Grand Falls-Windsor, Trinity-Conception,
Deer Lake and Nain regions; $592,000 to create five RCMP regular
member positions and related operational funding, including
three Highway Patrol and two drug awareness officers; $900,000
to fill nine vacant regular RCMP member positions throughout the
province; $970,000 to create eight new RNC Constable positions
including drug awareness officers in St. John�s, Corner Brook
and Labrador West; and $170,000 to support a new RNC dog unit
for Corner Brook.
Some of these investments build on the success of the RNC
training program. In September, the first graduates of the new
RNC training program at Memorial University received their
badges and, since then, all 28 have been hired to law
enforcement positions in the province. Another 26 are currently
enrolled and we anticipate a further 30 will join the program
this year.
We will also continue to address financial and human resource
deficiencies that have resulted from a decade of cutbacks to
both of the province�s police forces. We are investing $6.9
million in the RNC and RCMP for administrative operations. This
includes $178,000 for five new administrative / clerical
positions in the RNC�s Criminal Investigation Division,
Strategic Planning Division and Property Room; $166,000 to hire
four new RNC civilian dispatchers; $3.4 million to help the RNC
address significant pressures associated with complex
investigations, equipment purchases, mandatory training and the
need for a new Sexual Assault Nurses in Emergency Program;
$124,000 for two RCMP Operational Communication Centre
positions; $60,000 for two RCMP public service positions in
Forteau and Mary�s Harbour; and $3 million for the RCMP to cover
other significant costs.
Together, these initiatives will put more police on patrol while
at the same time addressing the administrative issues recently
raised by the Auditor General.
We are also investing $220,000 to expand court security
in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Wabush and Grand Falls-Windsor and,
in total, $1.1 million to strengthen the provincial legal aid
system.
To enhance child protection services, we will fund 55 new child,
youth and family services positions over the next three years,
beginning with a new investment of $1.5 million in 2006-07. We
are strengthening our resolve to make a lasting impact on the
incidence of violence in our communities with a $1.25 million
investment to support the government�s new six-year action plan
on violence prevention, Taking Action 2012. To
further assist women and their children leaving abusive
relationships, we will provide an additional $305,000 to support
transition homes in Labrador West, Hopedale and St. John�s. And
we will also invest $100,000 this year in spousal abuse and sex
offender treatment programs, expanding the programs beyond St.
John�s and the west coast to include Labrador and central
Newfoundland. With these measures, we will endeavour to make our
communities and our people safer and more secure.
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