The presence of special constables is increased in the course travelling

News 12 February, 2018

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Alexandre Cantin

Monday, 12 February 2018 14:12

UPDATE
Monday, 12 February 2018 14:12

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The Union of the special constables of the government of Quebec has received assurance from the department of public Safety that two officers, rather than a accompany now the judges, prosecutors and staff who visit the isolated communities of the North, and the Basse-Côte-Nord.

The North Shore is dotted with small and remote communities. To ensure judicial services throughout the country, nine courses travellers has been put in place. The hearings will take place in church basements, in community halls, town halls, and even in a hotel and an arena.

Recently, two special constables now provide the security in these halls of court temporary. The union of the special constables had made a request prior to the events of the palace of justice of Maniwaki.

“Before christmas, we had an agreement with the employer as to why now, on the itinerant court, there will be two constables wherever the court is going to move in the Great North. This is not related to recent events. For some time, we had begun negotiations with the employer. It is considered that two constables on the spot, is not too much,” says Franck Perales, president of the Union of the special constables of the government of Quebec.

The defence lawyer Bernard Lynch has seen the conditions of the itinerant court improve over the years. The presence of two special constables at any time is welcome.

“Better be careful. We’re going into communities where there is a lot of firearms. We do the hide not, in the region, there are hunters, trappers. It is important to do justice in a certain decorum and safety.”

Those who work with victims of crime also welcome the decision.

“Often, the accused comes from exactly the same environment, the small community where the itinerant court,” explains the director of the assistance Centre for victims of crime in the Côte-Nord, Isabelle Fortin. The increased security allows for the court to be held in an environment that is more serene.”