The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, (RCMP) have a new commissioner, and for the first time a woman is in the top position.
Brenda Lucki was sworn in yesterday during a ceremony at Regina’s F Division, in Saskatchewan.
Lucki has been with the force for 33 years and has been in the commissioner’s position now for six months,
In that time she has been travelling across Canada visiting detachments of Canada’s national police force and speaking to officers and employees.
Her priority is to rebuild the trust within the force, and then address the issues of bullying and harassment among officers.
“If a person comes forward — it doesn’t matter what we do — if they do not trust the system, they will not trust the results,” she told CBC News.
“So, we have to build that trust. And all of these things, all of these changes will take time.”
The CBC has reported on cases of wild harassment and bullying of women when they were first becoming officers.
And the mistreatment of many in the Indigenous communities came to light during Canada’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission.
RCMP new commissioner says, “It marks a cornerstone for change and I’m just ecstatic and excited to be able to be part of leading that change,” said Lucki, after being sworn in as the first ever female RCMP commissioner. (Olivia Stefanovich/CBC)
Lucki said the force will also take steps to address the broken relationship between many Indigenous people and the RCMP.
“Maybe we need to look at some of our core values in the RCMP and see if it does reflect reconciliation. We are going to continue with perceptions and cultural awareness training.”
Brenda Lucki has a motto she works by:
“I always say I have to make every community that I’ve worked in better than what it was when I got there,” she said.
“I want the communities to trust their RCMP and to see themselves in the RCMP.”
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