Addressing Gendered Violence against Inuit Women: A review of police policies and practices in Inuit Nunangat Full Report & Recommendations Pauktuutit Inuit Women Canada and Dr. Elizabeth Comack Department of Sociology and Criminology University of Manitoba January 31, 2020 pauktuutit.ca A REVIEW OF POLICE POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN INUIT NUNANGAT Contents Acknowledgements . .3 The Report in Brief . .4 Gendered Violence against Inuit Women . .10 Basic Demographics . .11 Framing the Issue: Locating Gendered Violence in the Colonial Context . .12 Pre-contact . .13 Early Contact . .14 Life in the Settlements . .16 The Role of the RCMP in the Colonial Encounter . .17 Into the Present . .22 The “Lived Experience” of Colonial Trauma . .24 Contemporary Policing in Inuit Nunangat . .27 RCMP Policies and Protocols . .27 RCMP Detachments . .29 The First Nations Policing Policy . .29 Policing in Nunavik: the Kativik Regional Police Force . .30 Policing Challenges . .32 Methodology . .35 Policing In Inuvialuit . .38 Safety Concerns and Gendered Violence . .38 Police Presence . .40 Community Policing: Set up to fail? . .40 Racism or Cultural Misunderstanding? . .43 Calling the Police for Help . .45 Responding when Domestic Violence Occurs . .46 The “Game within the Game” . .48 What Needs to be Done? . .51 Healing and Resilience . .54 Policing in Nunavut . .57 Police Presence . .58 The Police Response . .59 Racialized Policing . .60 “Don’t Trust the Cops” . .61 Normalizing Gendered Violence . .63 Policing Challenges . .64 High Turnover of Officers . .65 Inuit Officers . .66 The Language Disconnect . .68 The Housing Crisis . .69 What Needs to be Done? . .70 PAUKTUUTIT INUIT WOMEN OF CANADA 1 ADDRESSING GENDERED VIOLENCE AGAINST INUIT WOMEN Policing in Nunatsiavut . .74 Women’s Reluctance to Report the Violence . .75 Turning to the Police for Help . .78 Police-Community Relations . .82 Duration of Postings . .83 Police Presence in the Community . .84 The Call System . .84 Police Response Time . .85 Police Officers Can Make a Difference . .86 Policing Challenges . .86 What Needs to be Done? . .89 Policing in Nunavik . .93 Calling for Help . .93 The Divide . .95 Under-Resourcing of the KRPF . ..