Prince George, B.C. – A new report has taken the RCMP in northern B.C. to task for policy and reporting weaknesses.

The report was released by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP and was launched in consideration of concerns raised by individuals and various human rights and civil liberties organizations.

The investigation examined RCMP member conduct relating to:

• The policing of public intoxication;
• The incidence of cross gender police searches;
• The use of force;
• The handling of files involving youth; and
• The handling of missing persons reports and domestic violence reports.

Over 100,000 pages of documents, interviews with community members, human rights and civil liberties organizations, RCMP members, in 21 communities informed the report.

“The Commission’s investigation did not result in findings of systemic misconduct by RCMP members in northern British Columbia,” said chairperson Ian McPhail. “It did, however, find several policy and reporting weaknesses, issues with policy compliance by members, and the need for more robust training and supervision. These problems are not insignificant, as they directly affect RCMP accountability.”

The report makes 45 findings – 20 of which relate to national RCMP policy – and 31 recommendations aimed at enhancing RCMP transparency and accountability.

250News contacted North District RCMP for comment on the report and was instead referred to the RCMP’s E-Division and a statement from Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, Commanding Officer, RCMP in B.C.

In it, he noted the RCMP has accepted each of the 45 findings, and has implemented 26 of the 31 recommendations. He said he expected the remaining five to be implemented by this May.

And though gaps were identified in the report, he was “pleased that there were no findings of systemic problems with the RCMP’s actions in northern British Columbia.”

He added: “While the CRCC final report references possible perceptions of bias towards First Nations persons, our work and direct interactions with local First Nations leaders and stakeholders has seen a continued increase in satisfaction with the RCMP in British Columbia since the dated analysis completed by the CRCC.”

You can view the report by clicking here.