Back-Up Policy Statement by Deputy Commissioner Bill Sweeney

Statement

Good afternoon. As you may know, the RCMP has been considering a backup policy to guide members when they go out on certain emergency calls.
That policy was approved today by the Senior Executive Committee, and will now be included in the Operations Manual.
I know that this issue has attracted intense interest and scrutiny from our employees and the public alike.
The development of this policy has been ongoing for several years, and has involved widespread consultation with staff at all levels. Ensuring the safety of RCMP members, as well as the communities they serve, was paramount in the policy’s development.
The National RCMP Back-Up Policy now states that the following types of occurrences require a multiple member response:

calls of violence, or where violence is anticipated
domestic disputes
an occurrence involving the use, display or threatened use of a weapon
an occurrence involving a subject posing a threat to self or others
areas where communications are known to be lacking
any situation where the member believes a multiple member response is needed based on his or her risk assessment

However, a member wouldn’t be prevented from taking action prior to the arrival of backup based on his or her risk assessment of a situation and its place in the Incident Management Intervention Model - for example, in a domestic dispute where grievous bodily harm or death is imminent.
Our next steps include the development of a detailed implementation plan with our contract partners including implementation dates, something that will take some time.
Having said this, a portion of this policy has been communicated to all employees, enabling them tostart using this policy immediately, if and where possible.
I’d now be happy to take your questions.

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2016-12-15

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Back-Up Policy Statement by Deputy Commissioner Bill Sweeney

Statement

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