Moving courthouses to Saint John pulled small-town officers off the beat, mayors say

Two mayors from Charlotte County say the closure of local courts several years ago has had a big impact on justice and public safety in their communities, and they're lobbying for a greater police presence.

Bonnie Morse of Grand Manan and Allan MacEachern of St. Stephen say they are dealing with an increase in crime, and it's exacerbated by the fact that the few police officers they have must spend a lot of time away in Saint John.

"When they leave our communities to go to court, they're not boots on the ground anymore," said MacEachern.

Meanwhile, things like break-ins, theft and property damage have increased, they said.

"We need to hit this or … it's just going to get way out of hand," MacEachern said. "Something's got to give."

Adding more police officers would help prevent crime, he said, in the same way having a lifeguard at a pool prevents drowning and Morse agrees.

It's easy to see when police are present or absent from Grand Manan, she said. And even when officers are backfilled by staff on the mainland, it only shifts the problem to St. Stephen, she said.

The RCMP wouldn't disclose how many officers work in the two communities, but spokesperson Cpl. Hans Ouellette said "there are always enough … to respond to urgent priority calls, and to ensure public and officer safety."

Grand Manan looked at setting up its own separate RCMP contract seven years ago, said Morse, and the cost was found to be very high. Already, 20 per cent of its municipal budget goes toward policing, she said.

The RCMP suggested the island community set up a neighbourhood watch program, said Morse.

Some interest has been expressed by members of the community, she said, and the next step is for the municipality to organize a meeting to gauge whether there is enough interest to do it.

St. Stephen can't afford to start its own police force either, said MacEachern, but council is in "the early stages" of talking about adding "another layer of security" in its downtown core. That could help support police, he said, and reduce nuisance issues.

Having more officers around is one thing the town has control over, said MacEachern. But it's not a complete or clear-cut solution, he said, partly because tax hikes would be required to pay for it, and the resulting increase in the cost of living could further fuel the problems.

The underlying cause of the increase in crime is the economic situation, said MacEachern. "People are desperate" and some are using drugs.

More people are losing housing and falling into a "revolving door" trap, he said. "When they're not feeling successful at living, these challenges happen."

Sometimes the support services needed aren't available, said MacEachern. And even if services are available, individuals quickly find themselves "back on the street again," he said.

Besides more policing, the municipalities are also "chasing" more housing, addiction services and social services, said the mayors. But most of those things are out of the municipal "wheelhouse," said MacEachern.

Courthouses are key, mayors say

The location of courthouses is one example of something in provincial jurisdiction, he said.

The St. Stephen and Grand Manan courts are two of more than a dozen closed by successive provincial governments since 2007.

CBC News contacted the Department of Justice and Public safety Wednesday to ask whether the department agrees the absence of a local court is a factor in the uptick of crime, to find out about any possible solutions being considered and to obtain any data that supports the court closures.

A spokesperson replied by email that the rise in crime isn't unique to those areas and is why the department is spending $20.5 million to increase the number of officers by 15 per cent.

The expected outcome is "an increase in visibility and response times and therefore reduction in crimes," wrote Geoffrey Downey.

No comment was provided regarding the local court closures.

Not having a local courthouse has other negative repercussions for justice, said MacEachern. Victims of crimes are much less likely to attend court in Saint John because of the time and expense of travel.

"Courthouses were there for people to see justice served and we're not seeing that any more."