New designation planned for early next year
Moncton’s bylaw and community safety officers are set to receive broader enforcement powers under a new New Brunswick pilot program, changing how the city’s front-line officers can respond to some calls. The province plans to designate the city’s 25 officers as special constables under the Police Act sometime early next year, after they complete additional training.
The designation is intended to give officers more options when dealing with situations that currently exceed their authority. Charles LeBlanc, the City of Moncton’s director of bylaw enforcement and community safety, said officers are now limited in both the actions they can take and the ways they can protect themselves while working in the community.
“It would just give us that extra authority to be able to deal with the call,” LeBlanc said.
Among the changes, officers could be authorized to carry batons and pepper spray. They could also detain people in certain circumstances. Those powers would represent a significant change from the current system, in which officers may need to rely on the RCMP when a situation requires police authority or presents a safety concern.
Private-property calls among affected situations
The new status would also permit community safety officers to enter private property, an authority they do not currently have. LeBlanc used a trespassing complaint as an example of how the expanded role could work. If a person refused to comply, an officer could potentially detain that individual and then contact the RCMP to take over the matter.
That proposed sequence preserves a role for the RCMP while giving Moncton officers more capacity to manage the initial response. LeBlanc said officers could call the RCMP to “come and finish or deal with the issue” once a person had been detained. The arrangement is therefore expected to add enforcement tools for city officers without making them a replacement for the provincial police service.
| Current situation | Planned change |
|---|---|
| Officers have limited authority and protective options | Special-constable designation under the Police Act |
| No authority to enter private properties in these circumstances | Ability to enter private property |
| Limited ability to manage non-compliance | Potential authority to detain in certain situations |
Training will precede expanded authority
The officers are undergoing additional training before the province grants the designation. The source material does not specify the full training requirements, the precise start date or the circumstances in which each power may be used. Those details will matter to residents and property owners as the pilot program moves toward implementation, particularly for calls involving private land, suspected trespassing or people who do not follow an officer’s direction.
For Moncton, the change places a larger public-safety responsibility on the city’s existing bylaw and community safety team. It also creates a clearer division of duties in which trained municipal officers can respond with more authority, while the RCMP remains available to handle matters that require police intervention. The provincial designation is expected to take effect in the new year, following the completion of the officers’ added training.
- 25 Moncton officers are included in the planned designation.
- Possible new tools include batons, pepper spray and limited detention powers.
- Officers could gain authority to enter private property in certain calls.
- The RCMP would continue to take over or resolve matters requiring police involvement.
