BC Policing and Community Safety Plan - Ministry of Justice ...

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Regional integrated teams are formed to address concerns or provide services to specific regions of theprovince. For example, RCMP specialized policing units in the Lower Mainland have been consolidatedand now operate under a regional service delivery model. An example is the Integrated HomicideInvestigation Team (IHIT) which was created in 2003 to integrate homicide investigations in LowerMainland municipalities. Other teams include the RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT), ForensicIdentification Services, Police Dog Services and Integrated Collision Analyst Re-constructionists. The costsof these Lower Mainland teams are shared between the participating jurisdictions according to a fundingformula.In addition to integrated teams, Policing and Security Branch supported the integration of RCMP detachmentsand command structures around the province. 4 Many of these integrated detachments deliver specializedservices on a regional basis.•¡PRIME-BC renewalIn the early 2000s, the provincial government and British Columbia’s police agencies partnered to developa shared police records management and computer-aided dispatch system connecting all municipal policeand RCMP detachments. Since that time, PRIME-BC (Police Records Information Management Environmentfor British Columbia) has evolved into North America’s only multi-jurisdictional police information system.Its three interlinking components (Computer Assisted Dispatch, Records Management System, and MobileWork Stations) create a virtual, real-time connection from police communications centres to mobile units andpatrol vehicles. Together, they provide police with instant information on crimes, allowing them to operate in astructured information environment that creates efficiencies and improves analytics.Now, a decade later, PRIME-BC is poised to move forward and embrace new technologies that extend beyondits original functionality. To support this necessary transformation, and to improve responsiveness and qualityof service to police agencies, PRIME-BC will renew its organization and move into the next phase of its evolution.The process of renewal of PRIME-BC has the overall goal of ensuring the organization’s efficiency andeffectiveness going forward and the continued delivery of fiscally responsible communication and informationservices to British Columbia’s police agencies.•¡British Columbia Provincial Policing StandardsAs noted, one of the director of police services’ specific functions is to inspect and report on the qualityand standard of policing and law enforcement services delivery. 5 Recently, the director’s responsibilitieswith respect to policing standards were enhanced. Amendments to the Police Act were brought into forcein January 2012 which established the authority for the director to set binding provincial policing standardsfor all police agencies in British Columbia. Initially, the scope of this authority included setting standards forpolice training, the use of force, and places of detention, and equipment and supplies to be used in relation topolicing and law enforcement. Recently the scope was broadened to include setting standards related to datacollection, cooperation between police agencies and the independent investigations office as well as cooperationand coordination among police agencies on complex investigations.This new framework establishes a clear authority for the provincial government to set binding provincialpolicing standards that apply to all police agencies in the province, and can be easily amended to respond tochanges in the policing environment.4 Examples include the integration of detachments in Vernon/North Okanagan (Vernon,Coldstream, Enderby, Armstrong, Spallumcheen, Lumby and Falkland); Boundary (Grand Forksand Midway) and the Upper Fraser Valley (Chilliwack, Agassiz, Boston Bar and Hope).5 Police Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c.367, s. 40 (1) (a)16BRITISH COLUMBIA POLICING AND COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN
An important part of the development of standards for police in British Columbia is the creation of an AdvisoryCommittee on Provincial Policing Standards (ACOPPS) to advise the provincial government on standards-relatedissues. ACOPPS provides a forum for Police Services Division to formally consult with key police-relatedand non-police stakeholders concerning the development or amendment of provincial policing standards.Members will provide advice on priorities for standards development, suggest subject matter expertswho could assist in drafting standards on specific issues, and provide feedback on draft standards prior to theirformal submission to the director of police services and the minister for approval. The work of ACOPPS beganin November 2013.•¡Focus on domestic violenceThe Ministry of Justice recognizes the importance of developing enhanced and systematic responses to casesof domestic violence and violence against women in relationships. The ministry worked in partnership withstakeholders on the Province of British Columbia’s Domestic Violence Action Plan that was launched in January2010 in response to recommendations from the British Columbia Coroner’s inquest 6 into the 2007 deaths ofsix-year-old Christian Lee and his family members, and the subsequent Representative for Children and Youth’sreport on the death of Christian Lee. 7 The focus of the Action Plan is to enhance and integrate the response todomestic violence by the justice system and child welfare partners to better serve all British Columbians.The provincial government revised the Violence Against Women in Relationships (VAWIR) policy in December2010. VAWIR is a single cross-agency domestic violence policy that sets out the role and responsibilities of eachservice provider including police, Crown counsel, victim services, corrections, and child protection workers.The updated policy also includes a new Protocol for Highest Risk Cases that establishes a provincial protocol forcoordinating justice and child protection system partners and information sharing in domestic violence caseswhere there is elevated risk. The revised policy and new protocols provide greater integration, coordinationand collaboration among service providers to better meet the needs of families, women and children in BritishColumbia.Minimizing the risk of violence, enhancing victim safety and ensuring appropriate offender management arepriorities. In 2011, the Ministry of Justice distributed a model operational policing policy on domestic violenceand the ministry has encouraged all agencies to ensure their operational policy aligns with the model.In March 2012, the Representative for Children and Youth released a report into the deaths of Kaitlynne, Maxand Cordon Schoenborn. 8 The provincial government responded through the creation of a new ProvincialOffice of Domestic Violence (PODV) within the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD). ThePODV is coordinating the cross-government Action Plan with the Ministries of Justice, Children and FamilyDevelopment, Health, Education and Social Development all providing input. The Ministry of Justice continuesto work with PODV to enhance policing responses and police investigations into domestic violence.In an ongoing effort to keep pace with emerging best practices in the area of domestic violence, the ministryhas made significant enhancements to the training provided to police officers dealing with domestic violence6 Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. (2009). Verdict at coroner’s inquest: Findings and recommendationsas a result of the inquest into the deaths of Kum Lea Chun, Moon Kyu Park, Christian Thomas Jin YoungLee, Yong Sun Park, and Hyun Joon Lee. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General.7 Representative for Children and Youth. (2009). Honouring Christian Lee: No private matter: Protectingchildren living with domestic violence. Victoria, BC: Representative for Children and Youth.8 Representative for Children and Youth. (2012). Honouring Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon: Maketheir voices heard now. Victoria, BC: Representative for Children and Youth.PART I – POLICING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA TODAY 17
Page 1 and 2: British Columbia Policing andCommun
Page 3 and 4: ContentsMinister’s message 2Execu
Page 5 and 6: Executive SummaryIntroductionThe Br
Page 7 and 8: •¡Theme #1 - Rational and Equita
Page 9 and 10: PART I - Policing in British Columb
Page 11 and 12: MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTSCurrent
Page 13 and 14: THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIONS OFFI
Page 15 and 16: Currently in British Columbia the d
Page 17: A significant addition to the 2012
Page 21 and 22: •¡Federal Provincial Territorial
Page 23 and 24: In February 2012, the Federal/Provi
Page 25 and 26: •¡Telephone surveyA telephone su
Page 27 and 28: Vision and Values•¡VisionPolicin
Page 29 and 30: detractors. Careful consideration o
Page 31 and 32: community goals and objectives; con
Page 33 and 34: community members and the First Nat
Page 35 and 36: Theme #3 - Collaborative: police, g
Page 37 and 38: enforcement agencies to protect com
Page 39 and 40: NEXT STEPS: The Ministry of Justice
Page 41 and 42: MISSING PERSONS LEGISLATIONCHALLENG
Page 43 and 44: Potential amendments may include re
Page 45 and 46: THEMEEnhance community safetyACTION
Page 47 and 48: BRITISH COLUMBIA POLICING ANDCOMMUN
Page 49 and 50: ACTION ITEM 2013 2014 2015 BEYOND 2
Page 51 and 52: APPENDIX A: Community Consultationa
Page 53 and 54: supports, they also talked about th
Page 55 and 56: Key issues identified in the roundt
Page 57 and 58: •¡Multi-agency collaboration and
Page 59 and 60: APPENDIX B: Milestones in the Histo
Page 61 and 62: Justice Oppal concluded that there
Page 63 and 64: The death of Robert Dziekanski and
Page 65 and 66: APPENDIX B 63
Page 67 and 68: Oppal, W. T. (1994). Closing the ga
Page 69 and 70:
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Page 71:
DECEMBER 2013
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