Mayor Fraser addresses public safety, RCMP issues in Fort Nelson

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) Mayor Rob Fraser took to social media to address his constituents on Wednesday, October 2nd.

In a nearly half-hour-long statement on Facebook, Fraser assured there were “issues” with communication with the Northern Rockies RCMP detachment.

He said the precinct has not had a permanent commander since early 2024.

“From the lobbying efforts perspective, there are two streams that I’d like to talk about,” said Fraser. “Since January, it’s pretty clear that we’ve got some short-term and some long-term concerns in our community with respect to public safety.”

“Our council are not decision-makers with respect to the RCMP and public safety. The RCMP are the experts, and the ones that are charged with the responsibility of securing communities and making sure they are safe.”

Fort Nelson has seen a rash of criminal activity in recent weeks, including unsubstantiated reports about a serial arsonist and a shooting this past weekend.

Fraser said the RCMP will have “more boots on the ground” in Fort Nelson to collect information or talk to residents.

“Suspicious activities are going to be investigated more than what we’ve seen before,” said Fraser. “If you hear anything, [or] there’s something going on in your neighborhood, please get that information out to the RCMP.”

Fraser says several ideas were discussed during the NRRM’s latest meeting. 

Discussions included establishing a safety and security committee with the town’s chamber of commerce and a possible citizens-on-patrol group, adding that residents have already canvassed for the latter.

Further talks will occur on October 23rd in a meeting with various parties, including the temporary detachment commander and the chamber of commerce. 

Reactions to Fraser’s address and announcements were mixed.  

“Essentially nothing will be done for months,” said one user on Facebook. “Perfect…have another meeting 20 days from now to discuss potential action.  Just wow.”

Another described the statement as “30 minutes I will not get back,” and the townspeople would get “absolutely no answers.”

Still, one viewer was optimistic, thanking Fraser for “addressing the issues” in Fort Nelson.

The full video can be seen on NRRM’s Facebook page here.