Author Description

The inception of the First Nations Policing Program in 1992 led to the creation of 58 new First Nation Administered (FNA) police services: 20 of these agencies have subsequently disbanded. As these organizations had identical funding arrangements, served similar populations, and had been established under a common national policy framework, their experiences shed light on the factors that lead to disbanding. Ultimately, it was discovered that these organizations suffered from both a "liability of newness" and their diminutive size. Few of the disbanded agencies were operational for more than a decade and the average disbanded department employed five or less officers and provided services to communities of approximately 1,700 residents. Their annual budget was $0.7 million. In contrast, the 38 surviving FNA police services, on average, police approximately 4,500 residents by a detachment of about 22 officers with a policing budget of about $4.0 million. This finding confirms previous policing research, which posits that new and very small police services, usually deploying fewer than ten officers, are more apt to fail due to their inability to maintain or meet ever-increasing policing standards or deal with crises.