Law enforcement in the province

New Brunswick has many communities with unique needs for policing and public safety. Local governments are responsible for choosing a policing model for their communities, and the Minister of Public Safety is responsible for ensuring that policing models provide adequate law enforcement.

There are three types of enforcement officers in New Brunswick:

• RCMP officers
• Municipal and regional police officers
• Justice and Public Safety peace officers

The RCMP, as the provincial police service for New Brunswick,  plays a vital role in improving public safety and ensuring the well-being of all New Brunswickers. By policing 98% of the province’s land mass and 70% of its population, the RCMP finds itself immersed in almost every community in the province.

The RCMP polices 14 of 15 First Nations Communities in New Brunswick, and proudly serves in rural areas as well as large municipalities. 

The RCMP also provides specialized policing services to the law enforcement community in order to preserve public safety.  Those services include but are not limited to: 

• forensic identification services, 
• police dog services, 
• special tactical operations,
• the major crime unit, 
• the emergency response team, 
• the underwater recovery team, 
• the crisis negotiation team, 
• the integrated technology crime unit, 
• the internet child exploitation unit, and
• the explosive disposal unit. 

There are 13 local governments with municipal/regional police forces in New Brunswick. They are governed and overseen by city councils and/or police boards. Our municipal/regional police forces serve:

- Bathurst

- Edmundston

- Fredericton

- Grand Falls

- Kennebecasis (Quispamsis and Rothesay)

- Saint John

- Miramichi

- Woodstock

- BNPP Beresford, Nigadoo, Petit-Rocher and Pointe-Verte[EA(1]

Click here for more information

The Department of Justice and Public Safety’s peace officers are responsible for enforcing provincial legislations related to:

• conservation
• commercial and off-road vehicles
• Safer Communities Programs in the province

They include Conservation Officers, Highway Safety Enforcement Officers and General Investigators.

What is the role of a Justice and Public Safety peace officers?

These officers perform core duties in the areas of conservation, commercial and off-road vehicles, and Safer Communities Programs.

Completing general investigations and inspections

Justice and Public Safety Peace officers are responsible for Safer Communities programs, such as the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods program and addressing illegal cannabis and tobacco operations. They enforce various acts and regulations dealing with the purchase and sale of salvage and used car parts, liquor licensing, tobacco sales to minors and lottery and gaming legislation.

Highway safety enforcement

The officers enhance public safety on provincial highways and trails, to reduce instances of speeding, reckless and impaired driving, the prevalence of off-road related deaths and injuries, highway damage caused by overweight vehicles and to provide a unified approach to commercial vehicle enforcement in New Brunswick.

Conservation enforcement

Conservation officers ensure the protection of fish, wildlife, natural resources and the environment.

Law enforcement partners from across the province work collaboratively to keep New Brunswickers safe. Some of the initiatives underway to address crime and make communities safer include:

• The Provincial Crime Reduction Unit (PCRU) includes police officers from the New Brunswick RCMP and Fredericton Police Force, which operates all over the province, addressing high-risk violence, firearms, and the trafficking of illegal drugs.
• The Integrated Enforcement Units (IEU) includes the RCMP, New Brunswick’s nine municipal police forces, and Justice and Public Safety peace officers. These units focus on disrupting violence, firearms, and the trafficking of illegal drugs at the street to mid-level.