The RCMP’s standby policy was applied two years after the shooting in Nova Scotia

The eight -page internal policy took effect on March 1 and was issued to The Canadian Press by RCMP.

It describes circumstances in which a public alert can be used, including active shooting situations, terrorist attacks, riots and natural disasters.

The policy states that supervisors or unit commanders may approve an alert request, weighing its urgency and severity, and noting that there will be an increase in calls when the alert is triggered.

Each commander is expected to establish the position of Public Alerting Coordinator and maintain statistics on the use of alerts.

In addition, the new policy stipulates that the commanders of each division will work with provincial or territorial authorities to establish protocols for public alerts, including what to do if the event moves from one province or another. territory to another.

According to the policy, information about the event must be collected, including who was involved – a description of the person and vehicle, if any – where and when it happened, why the alert was broadcast and actions to be taken by the public.

Supervisors or commanders approve the requests, and the RCMP clarifies that the decision to use the alert is at the discretion of the officers responding to and handling the incident.

” The RCMP policy provides guidance for dealing with incidents, but does not require officers to issue alerts, as the policy will not address all possible situations. “

Learn how to use the system

In April 2020, shooter Gabriel Wortman killed 22 people at 1 pm in Nova Scotia, dressed as a police officer and driving a replica patrol vehicle, and never activated the emergency alert system. to warn the public. The RCMP instead use Twitter to share information with the public.

The RCMP He said he drafted an alert when the shooter was killed by police, but ongoing public inquiry into the hunt also revealed that senior officers were unsure how to use the system.

Family members of the victims believe that lives could be saved if the population was informed earlier. The mandate of the public inquiry is to investigate the communications of RCMP to the public during and after this weekend.

Superintendent Dustine Rodier, who was in charge of the operational communications center at the time of the shooting, told the Board of Inquiry last week that will consider the alert state in the event of an active battle, from now on.

Previously published evidence confirms that senior officials RCMP fears that a broader public alert could put police officers at risk by causing a Furious.

The RCMP It has also been suggested that 911 operators may be shocked by people calling in search of information.

The emergency alert system was triggered 12 times

Nova Scotia has used the emergency alert system 12 times since the hunt for events involving police action. Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office chief Paul Mason said in the investigation that he did not see a massive panic in response to using the system.

Cheryl McNeil, a consultant and former Toronto police employee, called the theory a panic myth and said that as long as the alerts are clear, concise, and provide direction, I don’t see how communication aimed at letting the public know the information they need to know can be the result of panic..

The national policy of RCMP that setsthere will be an increase in calls then an alert is sent, which is likely to constrain resources. He recommends bringing in more staff if possible.

Ms Rodier told the inquest that the best way to address this was to educate the public about emergency alerts, but she also said RCMP has not developed any educational equipment. He says it depends on the province.

The RCMP can now publish its own alerts in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, thanks to agreements signed with the two provinces since the hunt.

In 2016, the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office offered RCMP the ability to issue alerts, because it has 24 hour staff and it is better placed to respond quickly to events happeningaccording to a summary of evidence released during public inquiry.

The offer was not accepted.