ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Justice Minister Andrew Parsons wants Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers to know he is taking their vote of non-confidence in Chief Joe Boland seriously. At the same time, he personally has every confidence in the chief.
“I don’t think either of those has to be mutually exclusive,” Parsons said in response to questions from The Telegram Monday. “I think I can feel that way, but at the same time acknowledge that there’s work to be done.
“They need to know that I take their concerns very seriously, but I will not be coming out and saying that the chief’s position is in jeopardy. That’s not where my head is, at all.”
Last month, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Association (RNCA) asked its members to take part in an online vote, responding with a simple yes or no to the question, “Do you have confidence in the leadership of the chief of police?” Though the result of the vote was leaked Friday afternoon, the association confirmed it Monday: 90 per cent of those who participated in the survey — more than 75 per cent of RNCA members voted — said no.
“(Members of the RNCA) need to know that I take their concerns very seriously, but I will not be coming out and saying that the chief’s position is in jeopardy. That’s not where my head is, at all.” — Andrew Parsons
The vote followed months of rumblings of tension within the force, with multiple sources alleging issues of low morale and intimidation related to Boland’s leadership.
Boland, who was appointed RNC chief by Parsons in 2017, issued a statement when the result became public, saying the vote had been engineered as a scheme by the RNCA executive to undermine him.
“I am fully confident that by calling and promoting this non-confidence vote among RNC officers, the RNCA executive is seeking to discredit and impair my ability as chief to adequately and properly fulfil my obligations to the public as well as to all RNC members,” Boland wrote. “Simply put, this vote has been promoted by a few individuals who wish to avoid accountability, and by some other officers who oppose the progressive and necessary changes I have made to date within the RNC.”
The vote deflects from the accountability of a “small but noisy minority of members,” wrote Boland, who joined the RNC in 1983. He said he takes issue with "an RNCA executive that turns its attention to actions which seek to intimidate and coerce me from properly fulfilling my mandate out of fear of being demonized or criticized publicly for doing what the law mandates me to do as the chief of police.”
Aware of discord
Parsons said he had been aware of the situation with the RNCA and Boland for “a little while,” but declined to specify the issues brought to him by the association. Nor did he comment on the 2019 RNCA workplace satisfaction and engagement survey, which indicated 48 per cent of respondents had replied to the statement, “I feel I can initiate a formal recourse process (e.g. grievance, complaint, appeal) without fear of reprisal,” with, “Strongly disagree.”
“When I came in this job five years ago, there was a pretty big crisis in confidence in the RNC. There were a lot of high-profile negative incidents that were dominating a lot of the media landscape,” Parsons said, mentioning the 2017 public inquiry into the police shooting death of Donald Dunphy two years previously, which cleared RNC Const. Joe Smyth of wrongdoing.
Other serious matters drawing outrage from the public included the 2017 case of RNC Const. Doug Snelgrove, who was charged and acquitted of sexually assaulting a young woman while he was on duty. His acquittal was later overturned on appeal and he is set for a new trial. There was also the 2015 conviction of RNC Const. Sean Kelly for making obscene phone calls to a woman.
“Since that time, the amount of time that I deal with these types of (public confidence issues) is far reduced,” Parsons said. “I think that’s down to the accountability that’s been shown, the leadership that’s been shown, and that’s by all involved, including the chief, as well as the force, who realize that the negative incidents of a few colour the many positive interactions of the greater. I can tell you that what I hear from the public about the police now is far less than what I used to hear, and I think that’s because at every opportunity I’ve shown that I have trust in the RNC, I have confidence in them and their abilities and their duty to the public.”
Parsons said he has pledged to work with both the association and Boland to find a resolution to the issue and is hoping to serve as a sort of mediator, bringing them together to work out a solution. He said both sides have committed to co-operating, though the RNCA’s news release seems less sure that’s the case.
The association said it has attempted to address the concerns of its membership with Boland’s office without success.
“Unfortunately, rather than recognize the results of this vote and begin a process to rebuild the relationship between the executive and the frontline members, Chief Boland has chosen to question the legitimacy of the process,” the statement said, insisting it is not seeking to intimidate or coerce the chief from his mandate.
The vote was organized after lengthy discussion amongst the executive, it said, and not as a result of a noisy minority.
“As representatives of the membership, we are disappointed that the chief has taken this route. However, we reiterate our commitment to work with the leadership of the RNC to address these concerns. We hope that Chief Boland will choose to join us in this process to rebuild the trust and confidence our frontline members should have in their leadership.”
Twitter: @tara_bradbury