First Nations Self-Administered Police Forces: The Changing Nature of the Administration of Justice

Source: (2001) M.A. thesis, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria, Canada. Downloaded 28 February 2005.

Delivering appropriate police services to Aboriginal communities across Canada is a difficult task. In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, a number of proposals and policies were put in place to address Aboriginal peoples’ concerns with on-reserve policing procedures. These policies aimed to contribute to the improvement of social order, public security and personal safety in Aboriginal communities. This thesis investigates the evolution and the effectiveness of on-reserve Aboriginal policing options, with a particular focus on four First-Nations self-administered police services. This analysis explores how historical cultural definitions of justice have impacted policing services to on-reserve Aboriginal communities across the country. The goal of the thesis is to explore how the law enforcement component of the justice system is helping Aboriginal peoples to acquire the tools to become self-sufficient and self-governing through the establishment of structures for the management and administration of First Nations police services. Author’s abstract.