Moncton anti-crime coalition Enough is Enough disputes RCMP’s claims about crime

An anti-crime group says more needs to be done to clean up downtown Moncton.

It’s been a little over a week since the Moncton anti-crime coalition Enough is Enough made a presentation to Moncton City Council, but its impact is still being felt.

Patrick Gillespie, spokesperson for the coalition, and coalition member Jo-Anne Phillips, spoke to council on Feb. 2 about what they called a significant rise in crime over the past few years in the downtown core.

“It’s getting worse,” Gillespie told council.

Phillips, who owns downtown properties, doesn’t think there are enough RCMP members to address all the crime in downtown Moncton.

“We do not have enough boots on the ground,” she said. “The crime has to be addressed. We have to stop making excuses.”

Last week, Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Benoit Jolette spoke to CTV News about the presentation from Enough is Enough.

“There was a lot of inaccuracies, and we just want to set the record straight. Just so residents know exactly what is going on in their community,” said Jolette on Feb. 4.

Jolette went on to say there was actually a lower amount of total property crimes in 2025 compared to 2023.

“So if somebody were to ask me if property crime has exploded, I’d disagree because the facts just don’t show that,” said Jolette.

Jolette went on to say the RCMP was in the process of formulating a response and a statement was released on Monday.

Jolette stated that available public data does not support claims of worsening property crime trends.

“Both property crime statistics and the Crime Severity Index for the Codiac region demonstrate improvement which reflects the hard work done by the Codiac Regional RCMP every day,” said Jolette in the statement.

But Gillespie wants to know how the RCMP is measuring the improvement.

“Because the businesses we represent are spending more on security than ever before, experiencing more property damage than ever before, and dealing with more incidents than ever before. If crime is improving, where is the evidence?” said Gillespie in a news release sent after Jolette’s statement.

The coalition is requesting the RCMP provide specific data sets and time periods used in its analysis and the methodology for measuring crime stability and improvement.

They’d also like to see how the police account for unreported crimes in their statistics.

“When the superintendent says our narrative is ‘incorrect and not based on facts,’ he’s dismissing the real, documented impact on our members and the citizens of Greater Moncton,” said Gillespie.

The coalition is calling for an urgent meeting that would include themselves, the municipal councils of Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, RCMP leadership, the Codiac Regional Policing Authority, and representatives from the province.

Jolette said there is always room for improvement in policing for the Greater Moncton area and he encourages feedback about service, but he believes the record needs to be set straight.

“Issuing a narrative that is incorrect and not based on facts, undermines the huge amount of work that is being done towards the safety of these three cities,” said Jolette in his statement. “It is also directly impacts the hardworking employees of these municipalities and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.”

Phillips said she was “really disappointed” with Jolette’s statement.

“I have nothing but praise for the RCMP officers that work in and around our city and it really seemed like the superintendent’s comments were defensive and dismissive,” said Phillips. “Nobody’s attacking the RCMP.”

Phillips disputes Jolette’s claims that crime isn’t increasing in the city and she feels he’s dismissing the more than 3,000 petition signatures from citizens in the community.

“People aren’t feeling safe. The officers are overworked,” said Phillips.

Phillips wants to make it clear that the coalition is not attacking any group, it’s attacking crime. She doesn’t want the back and forth between Enough is Enough and the RCMP to turn into a war of words.

“I hope we’re not. I appreciate his response, defending his team, but there was no need to defend his team. We’re on the same side,” said Phillips.

Phillips said the coalition is scheduled to meet with four city councillors on Wednesday and on Friday they have a meeting with Minister of Public Safety Robert Gauvin.

In a statement to CTV News, Gauvin said he’s looking forward to meeting with members of the coalition.

“We are continuously looking for ways to further support efforts to ensure that communities across New Brunswick remain safe, supportive, and thriving for everyone,” said Gauvin in an email.

Gauvin recognizes more work must be done, but feels meaningful progress is being made to address crime, homelessness and public drug use.

The province will be launching the Addictions and Mental Health Court Program in Moncton in April, he said.

“This specialized program will provide targeted support for individuals in the justice system who are living with addictions and mental health challenges, helping them access the resources they need to move toward stability and recovery,” said Gauvin.

City councillor Bryan Butler was a police officer in Moncton for 34 years.

Butler thinks all sides -- the RCMP, Enough is Enough and the city -- have let out their frustrations when it comes to crime rates.

“Now it’s time to get in the adult mode and maybe we can sit down as a group and see what we can do,” said Butler. “To fix this, we can’t be just arguing back and forth and not sitting down at the same table.”

Butler also thinks local MLAs should be part of any meeting as well as Minister of Public Safety Robert Gauvin.

The retired police officer says he shares the coalition’s belief that there isn’t enough RCMP members on the streets of Moncton.

Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton CEO Kim Wilson said crime is a big issue for many of its members.

“Each year we do an annual membership survey. We represent over a thousand businesses in Greater Moncton and this year during our survey, which we conducted in December, public safety was the number two concern at a municipal level for our members,” said Wilson.

Wilson said many members are incurring extra costs for things like security personnel or security equipment to help limit vandalism and theft.

During last week’s presentation to council, Gillespie, who is the president of Ashford Properties, said they spent $171,000 on security last year and that didn’t include damages to their buildings.

“It’s increasing costs to the bottom line for many of the businesses here in Greater Moncton,” said Wilson.

The number one concern among its members was homelessness, Wilson said.

Jolette was unavailable for an interview on Tuesday.

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