The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary failed to ensure officers completed required training and secure sensitive inventory, exposing significant gaps in operational readiness, according to an audit released Monday.
Nearly every employee examined by the Auditor General was missing at least one mandatory training course, including basic courses like first aid. Some officers required between nine and 29 different training courses, but were missing anywhere from one to 13 of them during the two-year audit period.
“The public expects the Constabulary to have processes that support an impeccable standard of service,” said Auditor General Denise Hanrahan. “However, there was a lack of compliance with mandatory training requirements.”
The audit, covering April 2022 to March 2024, found that 95 per cent of the 38 employees sampled were missing mandatory training. For specialized use-of-force training, completion rates averaged only 72 per cent, with another 15 per cent unable to be verified due to missing documentation.
Training gaps pose operational risks
Officers operating in the Explosives Disposal Unit faced particular concerns. One officer had expired Police Explosive Technician credentials, while only half of the Tactics and Rescue Unit officers sampled had completed required chemical agents training.
The RNC lacked a comprehensive list of mandatory training requirements and had no central tracking system for employee training completion. Outside of firearms qualifications, training monitoring was minimal or non-existent, the audit found.
“The RNC was also not aware of which trainings were required for which officers, and when it did, it was challenging to show if that training had been completed,” Hanrahan said.
Training policies averaged 10 years old, with some dating back to 1998. The force had no procedures for investigating training discrepancies or enforcing consequences for missed mandatory courses.
Inventory security concerns identified
The audit also revealed significant weaknesses in managing the RNC’s $1.9 million inventory, which includes firearms, ammunition, seized evidence and police equipment.
Combinations for locks securing shared weapons in the Corner Brook region gun room had not been changed in years, despite policy requiring annual updates. Four of 31 protected firearms examined had not been registered with federal authorities as required by law.
Physical inventory counts required by policy were largely ignored, with 71 per cent of quarterly counts not completed across all regions. The Corner Brook region performed no quartermaster inventory tracking during the entire audit period.
“The nature of RNC work is sensitive and often dangerous; so are the items in their inventories,” Hanrahan said. “We found items from service weapons to evidence used in criminal proceedings that were not managed with the thoroughness I would have expected.”
Security lapses found provincewide
Security inconsistencies appeared across all three RNC regions. The Churchill Falls detachment had no safe or vault for securing confiscated currency and other sensitive items. Property storage areas often lacked proper access controls and monitoring systems.
Firearms were not removed from officers who failed to complete annual recertification training, as required by policy. Three officers in the audit sample had not completed mandatory firearms training but retained access to weapons.
The audit found inventory records contained errors for every type of equipment examined. Property Control Centre records showed missing jewelry and unreturned confiscated money totalling $2,810.
Management accepts recommendations
The RNC accepted all seven recommendations, which include updating policies, ensuring consistent training delivery and improving inventory security across all regions.
The force serves approximately 257,000 residents across 29 communities in three regions: Northeast Avalon, Corner Brook and Labrador West. It employs roughly 420 police officers and 100 civilian staff with a $68 million annual budget.
The audit was conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Newfoundland and Labrador as part of its mandate to examine government operations and crown agencies.
