Vaccine Passport Enforcement Will Require Additional Police Officers - Province Continues to Add Responsibilities Without Added Resources

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 29, 2021 /CNW/ - Following is a statement from Brian Sauvé, President of the National Police Federation, responding to the Premier of British Columbia's comments on vaccination passport enforcement by RCMP Members:

"The National Police Federation is concerned about Premier Horgan's recent statement that businesses having difficulty with customers related to vaccine passports should call the police for enforcement.

While our Members will, as always, professionally respond to businesses and individuals in need of police support, they are being called on to do more and more with no additional resources or funding.

This summer alone, over 650 B.C. RCMP Members have been deployed to wildfire response away from their communities and day-to-day responsibilities; with even more Members, including highly specialized teams, dedicated to enforcing the Injunction at Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island. And now the Premier wants our already over-stretched Members to respond to vaccine passport disputes at restaurants, movie theatres and sporting events.

The NPF looks forward to presenting our pre-budget submission to the Province's Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services on September 2, calling for increased long-term funding for RCMP services including integrated teams such as IHIT, Gang Enforcement, Emergency Response Team and others to cover BC's increasing needs and demands.

Put quite simply, the existing BC Membership cannot continue to effectively respond to an increasing number of calls and deployments without additional officers and resources. It is critically important that Government properly fund both local and provincial policing to ensure the ongoing safety and wellbeing of British Columbians."

About the National Police Federation:

The National Police Federation (NPF) was certified to represent ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally in the summer of 2019. 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 our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and supports for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.

For more information:  https://npf-fpn.com/

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SOURCE National Police Federation

Media contact: Fabrice de Dongo, Manager, Media Relations, [email protected], [phone]

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