Public Survey Reconfirms Systemic Problems in Policing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 30, 2025

St. John’s, NL – First Light welcomes the release of the recent survey on public attitudes toward policing in Newfoundland and Labrador, which was led by the Policing Transformation Working Group (PTWG). While we are not surprised by the findings, we are concerned by the deep lack of trust and confidence in policing that the survey has revealed – particularly among Indigenous people, racialized groups, and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

These results mirror the findings of our own province-wide public opinion poll conducted in 2022, which revealed alarmingly low levels of trust in policing across all demographics and regions. Those results directly informed the 26 recommendations we released later that year in Building Trust, Restoring Confidence.

Our 26 recommendations remain the clearest solution to systemic problems in policing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Our conviction is only strengthened by the limited progress made through our efforts to build trust directly with the RNC, the police of jurisdiction in St. John’s. As noted in Reconciliation Report 2024, the RNC publicly committed to establishing an Indigenous Advisory Committee following the release of Building Trust, Restoring Confidence. Three years later, that committee has yet to meet even once.

The PTWG’s public survey validates our own consistent experience: urban Indigenous people continue to be over-policed, under-protected, and left out of conversations that directly affect us. Without an ongoing process to gather meaningful community input – and without statutory bodies to ensure independent, civilian-led oversight – trust in police cannot be rebuilt and confidence in their ability to serve the public cannot be restored. That is a reality faced not just by Indigenous Peoples, but by every resident of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Decision-makers at every level across government must act urgently and decisively on what diverse communities have been saying time and again – not just through this new survey, but through years of reports, consultations, and calls for change. First Light will continue to advocate for the full implementation of our 26 recommendations and to work with all willing partners in justice and policing to make them a reality.

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Media Contact

Justin Campbell
Director of Advocacy
First Light St. John’s Friendship Centre
[email protected]
709-743-7677