December 11, 2009
The RCMP has received the report of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) regarding the use of a CEW in an incident involving a youth in Inuvik, Northwest Territories in 2007.
We have cooperated with the CPC throughout its investigation and take this report very seriously. The RCMP's response to the findings and recommendations is posted on our website.
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/news-nouvelles/speeches-stat-discours-decl/20091211-inuvik-let-eng.htm
We acknowledge that there was a mistake in the Commissioner's notice to the CPC regarding the lapse in re-certification of the CEW for the member involved in this incident.
The RCMP agrees with the CPC's findings and its recommendations with respect to CEW training and re-certification, the preparation of written records and notes, operational plans for responding to calls at custodial facilities, the public complaint process and internal investigation policy.
The RCMP has already taken concrete steps to address many of the recommendations from the report.
We have made a number of changes to our CEW policies, training, practices and reporting requirements.
At the time of this 2007 incident, RCMP policy allowed the use of CEWs to gain control of people who were resisting police efforts to control them. This is no longer the case. Our policies have restricted the use of CEWs to incidents involving threats to public or officer safety.
RCMP officers are now required to re-certify annually on the use of CEWs, rather than every three years, which was the rule at the time of this incident.
The RCMP has implemented a new reporting system, called Subject Behaviour Officer Response reporting (SBOR). This system has improved use-of-force reporting by providing a standard reporting template across all divisions. It will also help members better explain their decisions for various use-of-force responses.
- 30 -
