Niagara Parks Police Needing a Rescue of their own
The Niagara Parks Police, a division of Special Constables assigned to policing the Niagara Parks, are at risk of losing their policing authority as early as June of this year.
To understand the problem we need to first understand how the policing is conducted in the Niagara area. Currently, under Provincial Law, the Niagara Regional Police department , who are responsible for enforcement in Niagara’s Municipalities, can and does designate “Special Constables” to police specified areas of the Region.
These Special Constables go through the same kind of training as the municipal officers do but with some added skills training for the job required.
NPP training for example, would include training involving High Angle Rescue, search and rescue skills to handle the rocky edges of the Gorge along with gaining expertise in laws pertaining to the Niagara Parks properties.
Once qualified, Special Constables have the authority to do normal police work within their outlined area, in this case, Niagara Parks.
This type of enforcement allows areas, where public funding may not be adequate to provide enough officers, to have their own qualified police services to handle the more day to day policing.
The Niagara Parks Police Service has been in service for more than 120 years and currently employ 20 Constables and several civilian employees.
The problem with the renewal doesn’t have anything to do with training or how the NPP conducts itself but is concerning the lack of Civilian oversight of Special Constables as compared to their Municipal officers.
The lack of oversight means that Special Constables are not accountable to the Ontario Special Investigations Unit as the Niagara Regional Police are and therefore may be treated differently in the case of a death or serious injury involving an officer.
The Fix is to amend the Police Services Act to account for Special Constables but so far nothing has been done about the problem. A problem that has been going on since the previous contract between Ontario and Niagara Parks expired in 2008.
If a solution is not found soon the Niagara Parks Police may be force to disband which would then force and already resource starved Niagara Regional Police department to pick up the slack for.A slack that would account for a little over 4,200 acres of parkland stretching all the way from Fort Erie through Niagara Falls and into Niagara on the Lake.
Do you think that the Niagara Parks Police should be disbanded?
Should Ontario disband the NPP and extend the Niagara Regional Police service to make up the difference?
Comments other visitors have left...
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NPP Disbanded ... Disservice
Former resident of Niagara, I have seen, heard and experienced many things provided to the public of the parks. Not only to the visitors but the local ...
NPP Should not be disbanded !!!!
Why can't the government amend the Act to include them? It is a well funded, well oiled Commission that is needed in our area. It doesn't cost taxpayers ...
Absolutely Not
Not rated yet
With Police salaries on the rise and with the increasing work loads on city police services it only make more sense to have the NPP around. They provide ...
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