RCMP will fix communication mistakes made during N.S. rampage, says ex-deputy commissioner

A retired RCMP deputy commissioner believes theforce will examine when and how it uses Nova Scotia's emergency alert system.

His comments come as the Mountiesfaceincreasedcriticism for choosing not to issue an alert during a gunman's deadly rampage last weekend.

"I'm sure the RCMP will examine the chain of events and will determine the appropriate course of action in order to remedy these types of mistakes," said Pierre-Yves Bourduas.

A gunman in the province killed 22 people over 13 hours and led police on a chase that spanned nearly 100 kilometres.

Family and friends of those killedsay the RCMP should have sent out an emergency alert telling people what was happening and warning them to stay inside. The alert system can send a text message to every cellphone in the province.

Instead, the RCMP communicated with the public through their Twitter account.

At a news conference onWednesday, the RCMP said they were in the process of preparingan alert last Sunday when the gunman was shot and killed.

"From what was explained at the press conference, they were actually going up the chain of command to get the appropriate approval, when in fact, when you're dealing with mass casualties, the approval should be at the lower levels," said Bourduas.

Front-line officers could feel the fallout from the decision not to issue an alert, according to Brian Sauve. He is the president of the National Police Federation, the union that represents RCMP officers.

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He said officers on the ground did a fantastic job responding to an "active-shooter event."

"How management chose to dole out information or make decisions should not be reflected on the excellent work that was done by the members in their patrol cars responding to this event," said Sauve.

Bourduas expects the RCMP will learn from this incident.

"It stands to reason that the RCMP will probably look at their internal policy with regards to who can actually disseminate the alert," he said.

At a press conference on Friday in Dartmouth,Supt. Darren Campbell, the officer in charge of support services for Nova Scotia RCMP, acknowledgedthat public trust has been affected by the failure to send out an alert.

"We understand why those questions are being asked and we are always looking to do better," he said.

If you are seeking mental health support during this time,here are resources available to Nova Scotians.