Lack of security: the judges have already refused to sit

Photo courtesy
The mother of Steven Bertrand has posted pictures of his son on Facebook. The young man is out of danger.

David Prince

Thursday, 1 February 2018 14:25

UPDATE
Thursday, 1 February 2018 14:25

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MANIWAKI | The palace of Justice in Maniwaki is a place that is particularly problematic in terms of security, according to a retired judge who has served over 20 years at this location.

• READ ALSO : “The security in the palace of justice is in danger”

According to the retired judge Nicole Gibeault, it has already happened in the past that judges refuse to sit, since there were no special constables in a courtroom to ensure safety.

According to it, in small palaces, such as Maniwaki, or Cambell”s bay (north of Gatineau), the safety is markedly deficient. “I’ve already seen one security agent from running to the outside of a room in search of a special constable. During this time, the public, the staff and the judge are left alone with a potentially dangerous situation,” she said.

Wednesday, a special constable was shot in the face by Steven Bertrand, 18, who was just drawing out his asp baton and struck him in the head. The young man had asked to go smoke a cigarette, that the special constable has refused. Several security officials watched the scene without intervening.

“I have a lot of respect for the security officers. But they are not trained in crisis management to intervene in situations such as we saw in Maniwaki. (…) The judiciary has asked I do not know how many times to the public Safety to put two special constables for court room. It was not whether, but when it would happen,” mentioned Ms. Gibeault.

Nerve

Ms. Gibeault says have already been very nervous at the time of making verdicts in venues where the audience is divided between the families of the victim and the accused. “If there are people who sow confusion in the room or elsewhere in the palace, there is no security. Maniwaki is a small place. The more we confine the people in a small place, it can escalate quickly,” she said.