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The stack of police files sitting on William Moffat’s desk paints a grim picture.

Officers in the Kawawachikamach First Nation, near Schefferville, responded to 64 suicide attempts in the last 12 months. In a community with a population of 850, that represents about one attempt for every 12 residents.

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And every time a person on the remote Quebec territory tries to commit suicide, police are first to arrive at the scene, often seeing things that give them nightmares. The job, Moffat says, isn’t for everyone.

“Being a police officer in the north, you’re the ambulance driver, the undertaker, the social worker,” said Moffat, a police chief with 34 years’ experience in Quebec’s Cree, Mi’kmaq and Algonquin territories. “You name it, we’ve done it. I’ve even been a Dr. Phil at times … Now you’re seeing teenagers, children, talking about harming themselves. It’s scary.”

Despite a workload that’s been growing over the last decade, the federal and provincial funding that pays for the Naskapi Police Service isn’t keeping up. Last year, the Kawawachikamach band council had to divert $175,000 from much-needed social programs to ensure the police station could stay open 24 hours a day.