Most residents in the Mohawk community of Kanesatake are not happy with how Quebec's provincial police are patrolling their territory and they want a new native force created to target criminal activity, according to a report obtained by CBC's French-language service.
Radio-Canada obtained a copy of the study, commissioned by Quebec's public security ministry and conducted by former Kanesatake police chief John K. Diabo, who surveyed residents about policing at the reserve west of Montreal.
Nearly 80 per cent of residents Diabo spoke to "want a new native police service to strike against crime," he said in an interview.
Kanesatake has largely been patrolled by the Sureté du Québec since its Mohawk force was dismantled following violent events in January 2004, when the community police station was surrounded by rioters. The protesters also torched the house belonging to former grand chief James Gabriel.
About half a dozen Mohawk men were eventually arrested for taking part in the disorder, and received sentences ranging from fines to jail terms.
Quebec has spent about $36 million on security in Kanesatake since the January 2004 events. The SQ's interim services in the community have come under scrutiny because of spiralling costs and allegations of inappropriate procedures.
The province is currently paying about $350,000 a month for SQ officers to keep the peace in Kanesatake — an unsatisfactory arrangement for three out of four Mohawks who live there, Diabo said in his report.
Kanesatake resident Serge Simon echoed the report's findings. "We often see [the SQ] but they don't do anything," he said. "We have crystal meth dealers. We have cocaine dealers, crack dealers. They're happy, because they know they won't be touched."
The Quebec government has said it would like to pull its SQ officers from Kanesatake, but is waiting for the band council to agree on how to proceed.
Diabo surveyed Kanesatake residents in March and April of this year, sending out 1,500 surveys, of which 155 were returned completed.