Halifax – Progressive Conservative Justice critic Murray Scott is concerned for public safety more than ever since the government decided last week to reduce hours for deputy sheriffs across the province.

Scott is claiming that since the story broke last week, at least five deputy sheriffs have approached him with concerns over a reduction to their hours. Some of those sheriffs are full-time employees.

“Last week the minister guaranteed that public safety would not be compromised,” said Scott. “I hope he is right, because the last thing we need is a major incident to set off public panic. These deputy sheriffs are concerned about public safety as much as I am.”

A day after government officials confirmed that deputy sheriffs were having their hours reduced, more than 10 were called to deal with a scuffle between two dangerous prisoners en route to the Central Nova Correctional facility in Dartmouth.

Scott’s concern also stems from reports that police are being called to deal with prisoner issues that sheriffs would normally handle.

“I am very concerned about public safety,” said Scott. “Every time the police are called to help manage these issues it takes away from their duties to fight crime and protect the communities they represent. The Boots to the Streets program has been cancelled by this government, so we have to be cautious with how much we are asking our police officers to do.”

The concern is that police should not be used as an alternative measure to deal with prisoner transfers unless the situation warrants extreme caution. Furthermore, Scott argues that by calling in the police, a void is created within municipalities where police officers are needed to protect public safety everyday.

“These incidents are not random,” said Scott. “In some cases, prisoners, much like we saw with Jermaine Carvery last year, plan their escapes very carefully. “Without proper resources, the risk to the public will continue to increase.”

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Michael Kydd
Public Relations Advisor
Office of the Leader - PC Caucus
902.424.4996 (o)
902.237.1965 (bb)
kyddma@gov.ns.ca