Bruce Connell is the chief of the Saint John Police Force. (Submitted)
Saint John’s outgoing police chief says 2019 was a year of milestones for the municipal force.
Bruce Connell said the force, which was formally established in 1849, marked 170 years in service.
In addition, members celebrated the 20th anniversary of the auxiliary program and victim services team.
Connell said the force also welcomed its first civilian public information manager, Jim Hennessy, to the team.
“In critical times, to have the voice of the organization to get it out through social media to our community, is extremely important,” said Connell.
“Just a few short weeks ago, we had some incidents within the city that evolved where we had to lock down some neighbourhoods and Mr. Hennessy played a key role in keeping our citizens up-to-date basically minute-by-minute.”
The force also introduced online criminal record checks, which allows residents to apply for record checks without having to come to the police station.
Connell said more than 275 people took advantage of the new service during its first two weeks in operation.
Mental Health A Priority In 2020
Looking ahead to 2020, Connell said he wants to see more discussion around mental health.
Saint John officers received 1,486 mental health-related calls as of the end of November, he said.
“That’s 229 more files than we had at the end of November of 2018. That’s significant and that’s year-over-year that we’re seeing those types of increases,” said Connell.
Several high-profile suicides in the Saint John region prompted calls for better access to mental health services.
Connell said police and community partners need to come together to better understand the mental health issues in the community.
Force Prepares For Cuts
Connell said the New Year will also bring challenges as the force prepares for major cuts in 2021.
The city is considering dozens of ideas to address a projected deficit of around $11 million.
Connell said the police force will not be immune to reductions and needs to be prepared.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat that, [those reductions] are going to be significant within this organization,” he said.
But Connell said the challenge will also bring opportunities to make the organization more efficient.
He said they have made several “significant improvements” in recent years, such as moving to smaller vehicles for unmarked cars.
“I’m of the belief that continuous improvement is an everyday thing that we do here at the Saint John Police Force. We always want to look at what can we do better and how can we be more efficient and effective,” said Connell.
New Chief To Join The Force
The Saint John Police Force is also preparing to welcome a new leader.
Stephan Drolet will assume the role of police chief on Feb. 24.
“Change is always good,” said Connell about Drolet’s appointment.
“I can obviously appreciate there’s some anxiety around change but a new chief will bring in new ideas.”
Drolet has been with the RCMP for 27 years, spending most of his career in British Columbia.
He is currently the deputy criminal operations officer for the province of B.C. and previously served as the officer in charge of the Burnaby detachment.
Follow
