NationTalk: Today, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) released its report on the RCMP’s handling of public complaints in Nunavut.
As a result of its investigation, which examined complaint files from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2022, the CRCC made 14 findings and issued 9 recommendations aimed at improving a number of key areas of the public complaint process.
Policy, training and compliance:
- The RCMP should update its national public complaints policy.
- The RCMP should make public complaints training mandatory for all investigators and administrators in the public complaint system.
- The RCMP should provide pre-deployment training for members transferring to Nunavut (RCMP “V” Division).
- The RCMP and “V” Division should implement a system for public complaints to allow them to identify trends, evaluate policy compliance and training effectiveness, and determine if remedial action is needed.
Resolution of complaints:
- The RCMP in Nunavut should work with communities, Inuit-led groups and the CRCC to develop a culturally appropriate alternative complaint resolution mechanism.
Recruitment:
- The Nunavut RCMP should prioritize recruiting and retaining Inuit public complaint investigators and administrators.
The CRCC recognizes that the RCMP has made important improvements to the National Guidebook – Public Complaints and that the Nunavut RCMP has begun working with other partners to find ways to make the public complaint process easier and more adapted to Nunavut’s needs. In its response to the CRCC’s report, the RCMP stated, among other things, that the Nunavut RCMP has recently reached an agreement with a new cultural agency for the resumption of the Inuit Cultural Orientation Pre-Deployment training and that efforts are ongoing to identify, recruit and train Inuit persons in many front-facing aspects of police operations.
Quotes:
“The CRCC is dedicated to working with its Nunavut partners to expand public education efforts to ensure that citizens are aware of their right to file a complaint whenever they have a concern about RCMP member conduct. I am pleased that the RCMP Commissioner has agreed that the Nunavut RCMP will continue to collaborate with the CRCC. As it is imperative that a culturally appropriate complaint resolution process for Nunavut be developed, the CRCC is committed to working with communities, Inuit-led groups, and the RCMP.”
Michelaine Lahaie, Chairperson, CRCC
As the report states, ensuring a robust and tailored public complaint system for Nunavut is essential for demonstrating transparency and accountability and relevance to the people of Nunavut, particularly Inuit. It can also foster increased public confidence in the police when communities can see that their complaints are taken seriously, and examined thoroughly and efficiently, in a culturally competent way.
About the CRCC
The CRCC is an agency of the federal government, distinct and independent from the RCMP. Our mission is to deliver a robust complaint process that holds the RCMP accountable for its activities and the conduct of its members. The CRCC’s mandate is to receive complaints from the public about the conduct of RCMP members; conduct reviews when complainants are not satisfied with the RCMP’s handling of their complaints; initiate complaints and investigations into RCMP conduct when it is in the public interest to do so; review specified activities; report findings and make recommendations; and promote public awareness of the complaint process.
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More Information
For more information, please contact Media@crcc-ccetp.gc.ca.
Website: www.complaintscommission.ca