The Opposition wants answers about the provincial government’s plans to address escalating crime rates in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Leader Tony Wakeham is making the call following a recent meeting with municipal leaders in Conception Bay North.

In 2023, the remains of 34-year-old Adam Mercer were found in a burned-out pickup on a woods road near Harbour Grace.  That case remains under investigation.

In late September, the remains of a 42-year-old Spaniard’s Bay man were found in a burned-out pickup on Country Road in Bay Roberts.  Three people were arrested and charged in connection with that incident.

The shocking nature of those crimes left area residents shaken and concerned.

Wakeham says people feel vulnerable, and police services are stretched thin. He says mayors are telling him that responding officers are not able to provide the level of service that residents deserve.

He says the province must bolster community-based policing to meet the changing nature and volume of criminal activity.