Peacekeepers issue clarification/information regarding tobacco arrests

05/31/2012

The Kahnawake Peacekeepers have announced that two locals who had received calls from the Montreal Urban Police to turn themselves in to the Montreal Police for warrants related to tobacco decided, instead, to turn themselves in to the Kahnawake Peacekeepers, who had no choice but to bring them to Montreal.

In cases related to tobacco, the Peacekeepers DO NOT serve warrants. In certain cases, individuals wanted by outside police forces are sometimes contacted by those forces and asked to turn themselves in.

Please note that the options available to affected people are as follows:
1. They can turn themselves in to the police who are making the request
2. They may turn themselves into the Peacekeepers, who will transport the person to the outside jurisdiction
3. They may refuse to comply

It is very important to realize that it is the decision of the individual which route they choose. For obvious reasons, very few Kahnawa’kehronon choose option #1. Some have chosen option #2 in order to ensure they will be processed initially and transported by our own officers. Those who choose option #3 are NOT arrested by the Peacekeepers; however, they are aware that there is a warrant for their arrest and there is a possibility that they could be arrested once they leave the Territory.

Those who choose option #2 often do so to avoid the problems that come with arrest (jail, bail hearings, etc.). In many cases they are given a ‘promise to appear’ and await their court date.

In such instances the Kahnawake Peacekeepers are put in an awkward position. By law, the Peacekeepers would be charged with obstruction of justice for not turning such individuals (who have chosen this option) over to the outside police.