A statement from the Interim Criminal Operations Officer – Core Policing of the New Brunswick RCMP: Busy policing shift this weekend

July 25, 2023
Fredericton, New Brunswick

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Public Statement

On behalf of the New Brunswick RCMP, I would like to thank members of the public and our many law enforcement and first responder partners for their assistance during an exceptionally busy policing shift this weekend.

On Sunday afternoon starting at 2:45PM:

• The New Brunswick RCMP responded to Plaster Rock for a report of an individual walking on the street who appeared to be carrying a firearm where officers located and arrested a suspect;

• Caledonia Region members and the Codiac Regional RCMP responded to a report of an individual in medical distress where firearms were involved in Lower Coverdale;

• The Emergency Response Team was deployed in Grand Falls to assist West District members, Grand Falls PD, the West District Community Crime Reduction Unit, and the Integrated Enforcement Unit successfully arrest two suspects.

• An Alert Ready was issued for the Minto region advising residents to remain inside with doors locked, and for people to avoid the area. The subject was located and arrested by members in the Chipman area and an Alert Ready message advised residents that the incident was concluded.

All of the incidents were successfully resolved shortly after 6:30 p.m. At this time, we do not believe any of these incidents were related.

These responses included many specialized policing services, including the Operational Communications Centre, Provincial Crime Reduction Unit, the Community Crime Reduction Unit, Woodstock Integrated Enforcement Unit, the Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services, Forensic Identification Specialists, Digital Forensics Services, Criminal Operations/Core Policing, Air Services, IT Operations, Major Crime Unit, Strategic Communications and the Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit. It is also worth noting, these were just a few of the 356 calls the RCMP responded to across New Brunswick during the Sunday shift.

I am grateful that these incidents were resolved quickly, and the majority with no injuries. I would like to thank our law enforcement partners, especially Grand Falls Police Force, Woodstock Police Force, and Fredericton Police Force for their assistance and support this weekend.

These files are excellent examples of how police can work together with our communities and members of the public to address crime and resolve serious incidents. The public was instrumental in our operations this weekend, by reporting incidents to us, by sharing relevant information to support our investigations and operations, and by following instructions in the Alert Ready to stay safe and allow police to do their work. At times, we may have to prioritize calls for service in order to address serious and ongoing incidents first, and we are constantly assessing and learning from our experiences in order to improve our service to our communities. When you report an incident to police, we are listening and we are responding. Please report crime to your local police, and share your information with us so we can all do our part to keep our communities safe.

When there is a serious incident, or even multiple incidents at the same time, we will always respond quickly and effectively with public safety as our top priority. As the provincial police for New Brunswick, we have the ability to draw on our many resources to respond to multiple serious incidents at the same time. We will use tools such as the Alert Ready system and many other means of communication to share the information New Brunswickers need to stay safe and stay informed.

I want to end by expressing my heartfelt gratitude to our frontline members, our Operational Communications Centre staff, and support staff, many of whom responded to several of the above serious incidents during the same shift, and who put in extra hours to support their colleagues, follow up on investigations, and prepare materials for court. These are the people who are in your community each and every day - whether you see them or not - and who are working tirelessly to keep the places where they live and work safe. Their work Sunday afternoon speaks volumes to their dedication and commitment to the public. I am proud of the RCMP in New Brunswick, and our communities should be too.

Contact information

Chief Superintendent
Darren Campbell
New Brunswick RCMP
Interim Criminal Operations Officer – Core Policing

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