Carpentier case: wildlife officers claimed too late
They themselves contacted the Ministry of Public Security to offer their help.< /p>
Wildlife protection officers participated in the search for Martin Carpentier and his two girls. (File photo)
Wildlife officers themselves contacted the Department of Public Safety to offer assistance in the search for Nora, Romy and Martin Carpentier in July 2020.
This was indicated by the provincial president of the Syndicat des agents de la protection de la faune du Québec (SAPFQ), Martin Perreault, on Tuesday, on the twelfth day of the public inquiry into the deaths of the three members of the Carpentier family.
Martin Perrault says he contacted the cabinet of the Ministry of Public Security on his own initiative on July 16, five days after the discovery of the bodies of the young girls, to offer the expertise of wildlife officers.
At this time, Martin Carpentier is still actively sought by the police. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is asking hunters to check their camp and their hunting camera in an attempt to locate the fugitive.
We expected our organization to take steps. […] It didn’t happen. I texted directly, testified the president.
Martin Perreault is president of the Syndicat des agents de protection de la faune du Québec (File photo)
On July 17, 10 wildlife officers and a dog handler were dispatched to the scene. The vast majority on a voluntary basis.
For public safety reasons, wildlife officers will be available at all times. It is often seen in large poacher takedowns. Agents are interested. They will raise their hands, testified Martin Perrault.
For him, the wildlife protection officers should have been contacted much earlier: Wood is our day-to-day job. We have wildlife officers. We strongly believe that we can lend a hand with research.
“Personally, I regret not having made the calls earlier. »
— Martin Perreault, provincial president of the SAPFQ
Unlike volunteers specializing in field research, wildlife officers are armed and are trained to intervene with dangerous people.
A wildlife officer takes a sample from an animal carcass in the forest. (File photo)
They are also trained to detect clues related to the movement of people, both at night and during the day.
We know what to look for when looking for a poacher. We will notice certain details that we wildlife officers will be used to seeing. Whether it's upturned leaves […] a broken branch of a day or a week. There is a big difference, illustrates Martin Perrault.
We know how the police field works. We know that there is an entity that directs. We are not here to replace the police.
Moreover, since 2020, the president has noticed that wildlife officers are called upon more quickly. This was the case in Sainte-Paule, in 2021, when an Amber alert was triggered.
On Monday, the Quebec Association of Search and Rescue Volunteers (AQBRS) deplored having suffered a certain prejudice from the SQ in July 2020. According to it, this situation prevented the deployment of additional specialized resources to assist in the search for Norah, Romy and Martin Carpentier.
The AQBRS particularly criticized the fact that its dozens of dog handlers were not used by the Sûreté du Québec in cases of disappearance for accreditation issues.
This situation seemed to irritate coroner Luc Malouin. I say it publicly that it would be good for you to talk to each other. You can never have too many competent people when you have a drama. For the public good, speak up!
On Tuesday, the sergeant in charge of the canine module of the Sûreté du Québec replied that the police force has always been open to this possibility and that the communication channels are still there. I'm open. I agree, replied Yves Roussel.
Sick, coroner Malouin adjourned the inquest until Thursday morning, the time to recover .
