'Kids are scared': Random attacks have residents of small-city N.L. shaken

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Patrick Roche speaks to residents and reporters in

MOUNT PEARL, N.L. — Mount Pearl resident Bailey Rempel says life for her and her young family simply hasn’t been the same since her husband was assaulted by a group of young people at after-school pick-up in late November.

“There are things that don’t make it into the headlines,” she told a public meeting of concerned citizens this week. “How my husband hasn’t been able to work a full day yet, and how our house stays dark now because the lights make his head hurt.”

“I had to go down to the school multiple times to calm my kids the day that they went back,” she added. “They haven’t been back to after-school care and they haven’t been back to Girl Guides.”

Rempel’s husband was one of two male victims of what police have a described as random attacks on Nov. 22, 2024. Both men were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

It followed an earlier incident, on Nov. 8, where police say a man was assaulted outside of a restaurant at around 7 p.m.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said they’ve arrested and charged seven youth, all between 13 and 16-years-old, in connection with the incidents.

Mount Pearl is a small city of about 22,000 people with a tidy, clean and quiet reputation. But residents say their confidence has been shaken.

On Tuesday, dozens spoke at a public meeting in the community about crime and safety.

“This is something that is not just impacting Mount Pearl, but I think it’s a systemic issue that is impacting the entire region,” said MHA Paul Lane, who represents Mount Pearl in Newfoundland and Labrador’s House of Assembly.

RNC Chief Patrick Roche told the crowd that these latest crimes were random acts and unpredictable — but police were doing the best they could to be prepared.

“You’re right,” he told the audience. “Reactive is not always the best. But sometimes, in our business, we have to be reactive.”

Roche says he is sending several officers away for more training and recruiting others to fill out the ranks of the police force.

“We’re a growing organization, answering the demands of our community.”

But the police force also faced tough criticism at Tuesday’s meeting. Rempel said she got to her husband long before police officers did, and that the officers she spoke to were pessimistic about ever finding the perpetrators of the attack.

A spokesperson for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary said officers arrived six minutes after they were called.

“I understand that some of these issues are beyond our town council, but we elected you to speak for us,” Rempel told the mayor and councillors attending the meeting.

Staff at the City of Mount Pearl have promised to release a report next month based on the feedback received from the community.

Rempel later told reporters that she wanted to speak on behalf of all of the families in the city that are now fearing in their daily lives.

“People are scared to walk in the park, they’re scared to walk their dogs. Kids are scared to go to school, and it demands immediate attention from all levels.”