HALIFAX—The premier of Nova Scotia says the RCMP must change how they alert the public to dangerous incidents following the high-profile arrest of a gunman who remained at large for 19 hours. Stephen McNeil made the comment Thursday as questions arose about why it took more than three hours on Wednesday for the Mounties to request a province-wide Alert Ready message to warn residents about a manhunt that spanned two provinces. “The RCMP has an issue when it comes to whether or not they want to use emergency alerts,” the premier said after a cabinet meeting. “They need to fix their protocol.” A spokesman for the RCMP said the police force is considering releasing a statement on the issue on Friday. Provincial Justice Minister Mark Furey—a former Mountie—also weighed in, saying the RCMP must shorten the time it takes for them to prepare Alert Ready messages for distribution by the …