‘Where’s the reconciliation?’ Gamètì, Wekweètì want better RCMP response

From “near zero” patrol presence to delayed response times, two Tłı̨chǫ communities say they are frustrated at inconsistencies in policing over the past year.

Wekweètì and Gamètì have no RCMP detachments of their own. They rely on patrols from officers assigned to other detachments.

Gamètì Chief Doreen Arrowmaker publicly raised concerns about that arrangement last week, saying the limited police presence left incidents unaddressed and made it harder to respond effectively to public safety concerns.

The community of roughly 300 people has long advocated for a permanent detachment.

This week, Chief Arrowmaker said she did not hear from anyone at the RCMP after making her concerns public.

Declining an interview request on Wednesday, RCMP instead provided a written response to Cabin Radio.

In that statement, RCMP said they recognized the concerns raised by residents of Gamètì about local policing levels, but noted any decision to establish a permanent detachment rests with the territorial government.

In the meantime, RCMP said two officers based in Yellowknife use a fly-in model to serve Gamètì and Wekweètì on a rotational schedule, to “ensure compliance with RCMP officer‑safety backup policy and to allow for required days off.”

According to RCMP, if an assigned officer is unable to travel to a community, efforts are made to provide coverage through overtime when staffing resources permit.

In urgent situations when nobody is in a community on patrol, RCMP said officers may be flown in if an aircraft is available.

“As part of standard practice, officers assess calls for service by contacting complainants or witnesses to gather information and determine the most appropriate response,” the email continued.

RCMP said officers carried out 32 scheduled patrols in Gamètì over the past year.

Data from 2024 quoted by police shows officers responded to 197 occurrences in Gamètì that year, 19 of which led to criminal charges. About 27 percent involved crimes against persons such as assault or uttering threats.

In 2025, calls for service declined to 171 occurrences, with 14 resulting in charges and about 17 percent involving crimes against persons.

RCMP said those figures include both reactive calls and proactive policing – such as check stops and traffic enforcement – and do not solely reflect emergency or community-initiated calls.

“We recognize and respect the concerns raised by the community of Gamètì regarding local policing services. Decisions related to permanent detachment locations rest with the Government of the Northwest Territories,” Chief Superintendent Dyson Smith stated.

“It is important to acknowledge that the operational figures demonstrate that RCMP members assigned to Gamètì are ensuring calls for service are attended. Through scheduled patrols, proactive policing, and the ability to return to the community to address emergency situations when required, our members remain responsive and engaged.

“Public safety remains our priority, and we will continue to work collaboratively with community members and our partners to pursue practical and sustainable solutions while maintaining effective policing services today.”

‘This is my reality, I live here.’

Responding to the RCMP statement, Arrowmaker on Wednesday said the police statistics did not reflect meaningful interaction with residents.

The chief said some of the past year’s 32 patrols didn’t involve engagement with the community, describing instances where she asserted officers were present but largely operating from a trailer or not actively visible.

She alleged RCMP have rented an office space in the community for years without regularly using it.

“A lot of community members say that, you know, they’re here on vacation,” she said.

While RCMP highlighted a year-over-year decrease in calls, Arrowmaker said she does not believe that accurately reflects the true demand.

The chief gave the example of a recent liquor seizure on the winter road, when police confiscated dozens of bottles during what she called a “random stop” in early April.

She questioned why similar patrols were not conducted more regularly, particularly since the winter road had been open since early February, stating that more proactive policing could have prevented larger volumes of alcohol from entering the community.

“What they’re saying is that I’m lying and skewing,” she said, “but I’m not because this is my reality, I live here.”

No plan for Gamètì detachment

Although RCMP indicated the decision to create a permanent Gamètì detachment rests with the territorial government, Arrowmaker said that wasn’t the impression she received during a recent community meeting with Premier RJ Simpson.

The Department of Justice told Cabin Radio the need for a new RCMP detachment is determined collaboratively between the department and RCMP “based on policing service requirements.”

“Where a new detachment is agreed upon, infrastructure costs are then cost-shared, with the GNWT responsible for 70% and Public Safety Canada responsible for 30% of expenses,” a department spokesperson said in an email.

“At this time, the GNWT and RCMP are not considering building a detachment in Gamètì.”

The spokesperson said factors considered when determining a stand-alone detachment in a community include:

• population;
• crime rates;
• workload of members;
• remoteness;
• calls for service;
• financial and human resources;
• infrastructure;
• types of calls for service;
• access to the community via all-weather road and winter roads;
• weather variability;
• funding; and
• priorities.

“Gamètì RCMP has access to office space at the Gamètì Community Hall which helps to maintain a more consistent and visible RCMP presence to support safety and respond to concerns while in Gamètì. Officers have access to accommodations in the community and conduct overnight stays as part of their rotations,” the department stated.

“An RCMP truck is also stationed in the community, parked at the airport if needed for rapid response emergencies. This patrol model is consistent with policing approaches used in other isolated locations across Canada where a permanent detachment is not in place.”    

‘No wonder people feel so negatively’

Arrowmaker said the concerns raised by Gamètì residents at a recent meeting with Premier Simpson are similar to those faced in Wekweètì, another Tłı̨chǫ community without a detachment.

Fred Behrens, Wekweètì’s senior administrative officer, said safety concerns had eased once the winter road closed, but during the season there were serious issues.

Behrens said the community struggled to get RCMP to patrol the ice road and as a result there were multiple incidents involving impaired drivers, accidents, and people left stranded in extreme cold.

In some cases, he said, it took significant effort and multiple calls before officers responded, often arriving after the situation had been handled. At one point, he said Chief Adeline Football had to phone RCMP detachments in Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Whatì until an officer was sent.

According to him, RCMP in the past would visit at least once a month, sometimes combining patrols with routine tasks like servicing their local vehicle. He said while those visits were brief, they helped maintain some level of oversight.

This year, however, he said there was no police presence for months. Officers did not come to service their vehicle, he said, and the community did not see RCMP until very recently.

“This is really the worst it’s been,” he said.

“We haven’t seen an individual in the community for a few months up until this past Saturday.

“I’m not sure how many RCMP came in, but there were RCMP in the community looking for an individual. Then again on Monday, they were in the community, but both times they flew in and were here only for a specific reason … as soon as they found the individual that they were looking for, they were back on the plane and gone.”

Behrens said the community has made efforts to build a stronger relationship with the RCMP, purchasing a duplex trailer to provide accommodation for visiting officers, hoping this would encourage longer stays and better engagement.

He thinks police staffing shortages are part of the problem, along with competing demands in other communities and factors like leave and training.

Despite what he says is a need for a permanent RCMP detachment in Wekweètì, he believes establishing one is “more or less an impossibility” – especially since Gamètì, which has a slightly larger population, also has no such facility.

The lack of a detachment makes for “a very stressful situation,” he said.

“No one really wants to go and get involved with an incident that’s happening because, who knows? You might end up getting injured or worse.”

“Just because we’re a small community, that doesn’t mean our need is not there,” Gamètì Chief Arrowmaker said.

“[RCMP] never responded to the community government or to me to say, ‘We saw your Cabin Radio interview. Sorry you felt like that. Is there any way that you want us to work?’

“They never reached out to me. Where’s the reconciliation in that? No wonder people feel so negatively about RCMP.”