Aundeck Omni Kaning and Sheshegwaning First Nations prevent crime through security
By Rick Garrick
MANITOULIN ISLAND — Aundeck Omni Kaning and Sheshegwaning have installed cameras around their communities that are linked to the UCCM Anishnaabe Police.
“It was needed in the community because what we’re having on Manitoulin Island is a fluctuation of urban drug dealers,” says Aundeck Omni Kaning Chief Patsy Corbiere. “Most of the First Nations have these cameras in place. The cameras are strategically put up within the community at intersections so we know who is coming into the community. It helps us with any vandalism or theft because the cameras are on all our band buildings.”
Chief Corbiere says the cameras are worth more than $450,000.
“It deters a lot of bad behaviour — AOK doesn’t have a lot of crime here, we don’t have people breaking in or doing anything like that, but the major factor was the drug dealers,” Chief Corbiere says. “The UCCM Police have a direct line to all our cameras. There’s been a lot of benefits, but our main focus was that the police would have access to the cameras if they were investigating a crime or if they had traffic violations or whatever.”
Joan Sheppard, executive director at Sheshegwaning, says they worked with Verkada, a company that builds physical security solutions, to have the cameras installed in the community.
“They were starting to work with a few Nations around Manitoulin Island at that time, they were great to work with, have a good product and because of the alignment of other nations using the product as well, it made a lot of sense,” Sheppard says. “A lot of us work with UCCM Police, so there is an opportunity to provide our feeds to the police. The technology is very good, you can search for very specific things, like if you are looking for a certain type of vehicle.”
Sheppard says they have cameras set up on the road into the community, as well as at the beachfront.
“UCCM Police is also opening a satellite station in the community of Sheshegwaning as well,” Sheppard says. “[The cameras] are up and running, the clarity is good. We are still receiving training and things, but it is good to know that we have that information now and if there was an incident of some sort, at least the data would be there.”
UCCM Anishnaabe Police Sergeant Daniel Bussieres says the communities received funding for crime prevention and have since installed the cameras.
“What they have since done is granted us access to them,” Bussieres says. “When it comes to the use of these cameras, it’s going to be for criminal investigations as well as missing persons and things along those lines. We have used them in criminal investigations and they have proven to be extremely beneficial in reducing crime, increasing safety within our communities.”
Bussieres says the communities have been extremely supportive about the initiative.
“We really appreciate their trust when it comes to having access to these systems,” Bussieres says. “For as far as investigations combatting criminal trade, as well as the drug trade and investigating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, it takes communities — we can’t do it without our communities, we appreciate their support, both in the past and ongoing and in the future.”
Fort William acting CEO Ian Bannon says they have also installed cameras in their community, including on Anemki Wajiw that overlooks the community.
“We have an eye-in-the-sky program that we’ve initiated throughout the community that assists us with not only a safety component for those who come into the community, but as well assisting local police forces so that in the event that they are doing investigations and they require any kind of surveillance, that we share that with them,” Bannon says. “Our camera system is not a monitoring system as such where we sit and monitor our community, it’s only used in the event of. It’s used strictly for prevention and investigation.”