Speeding? Don't be surprised if a commercial vehicle enforcement officer stops you

If you're speeding on the highway in New Brunswick, an RCMPofficer may not be there to catch you.

But a provincial commercial vehicle enforcement officermight.

That's because in the last few years the RCMP has dismantled all but one of its traffic units.

"It's not rare to drive from Edmundston to Aulac and you don't see a police car on the Trans-Canada anywhere," said Louis-Philippe Thriault, an RCMP officer in Monctonwho representsthe Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada.

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Commercial vehicle enforcement officers, who are hired by the province to monitor vehicles like tractor trailers and dump trucks, technically have the authority to stop and ticket regular motorists, too.

And lately, they've been doing just that.

Supt. John Lunney, who is in charge of those officers, estimatedsomewhere around 2,000 cars are stopped every year in New Brunswick.

According to numbers obtained by CBC News from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, most of the offences in the past month were for speeding.

Other charges handed out by these agents include driving with an expired registration, without insurance and driving while being on a cellphone.

Between June 18 and July 15, a total of 134 charges were laid.

There are 17 patrol units operating in the province, and these agents considered special constables under the Police Act have the authority to enforce theMotor Vehicle Actand Criminal Code, just like police officers.

"They're encouraged to stick to their mandate where possible," Lunneysaid. "But if they encounter something that's of an imminent safety concern for example, excessive speed or suspected impaired driving they're expected to act on that."

Lunney said stopping commercial vehicles is still the bulk of what they do, though with 800 charges laid againsttruckers during the same period.

RCMP short-staffed

There used to be RCMP officers whose job was to enforce the road safety code, placing themselves on the highway with a radar,on the lookout for speeding vehicles.

But those days are gone.

"Because of lack of resources, the RCMP dismantled the traffic unit in the Moncton region, in the southeast region... and other traffic units all over New Brunswick," said Thriault.

According to Thriault, the changes were made gradually over the past two to three years, with those traffic officers reassigned to general duty and patrol.

"It's unfortunate," said Thriault. "We hear every day that there's more and more people going through red lights and speeding, but there's no one to enforce that."

The RCMP has confirmed there is only one traffic unit left in the province but would not say how many officers are on that unitor where it is based for tactical reasons.

That unit does both traffic and patrol.

Return of provincial police?

Last summer, the province began arming commercial vehicle enforcement officersand, in February, sheriffs working in courthouses and transporting prisonersalso started carrying guns.

A move not all of them said they felt comfortable with.

In all, about 200 provincial agents have either recently been armed or are in the process of getting the training to be able to carry a firearm.

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Thriaultsaid he believes the province could be laying the foundation for a provincial highway traffic unit, or even bring back a provincial police force like we had 30 years ago.

"If I was in their shoes, this is exactly how I would do it," said Thriault.

"We're just one step away from creating the highway patrol that we used to have, and I don't blame the province."

Thriault said while he's disappointed the RCMP is no longer able to provide that service, he would rather have provincial agents do traffic than no one at all.

"With the RCMP now not being able to staff positions, it's created a lot of frustrations at many levels," he said.

In the 70s and 80s, New Brunswick had its own police force, with more than 100 officers in uniform working in traffic.

That force was dismantled in 1989.

Lunney said there have been no discussions with him aboutcreating a highway patrolor restoring a provincial police force.

But he saidthe fact his agents have to stop people played part in the decision to arm them, because of the "unknown" of what they are having to deal with.

"Traffic stops are considered one of the most dangerous stops for law enforcement.. that and domestic violence calls."