Stephen Thomson (straight.com) – Surrey RCMP faced more official complaints of improper use of force than any other B.C. detachment in 2010, according to preliminary statistics released by a federal agency that reviews police conduct.
Twenty-one such complaints were leveled by the public against the city’s contracted police force, which is described as the largest RCMP detachment in Canada. It has around 600 officers and civilian members.
The figures were provided to the Straight today (January 26) by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.
In total, there were 249 allegations of improper use of force directed against the RCMP in B.C., according to the commission.
Insp. Tim Shields, a B.C. RCMP spokesperson, said the complaint statistics should be considered in context.
“Potentially there are millions of contacts per year between RCMP members and the public in British Columbia,” Sheilds told the Straight today by phone.
“We would like to see an environment where there are no complaints about excessive force,” he said. “But the number 249, in the context of over a million calls for service, is a reality of police work.”
Shields said police work involves quick decision-making in highly emotional and stressful situations.
“We’re dealing with human nature, and yes, some mistakes will be made,” he said. “What’s important is if a mistake is made that it is dealt with appropriately.”
He said allegations against Mounties are investigated and criminal charges are recommended when appropriate.
While the statistics show Surrey RCMP topped the complaint list for 2010, a recent news report indicates the smaller Kelowna RCMP detachment actually led with 22 complaints to Surrey’s 21.
The Globe and Mail report cited a detachment spokesperson for the Kelowna RCMP complaint figure. The report also noted the Surrey detachment has around four times as many officers as Kelowna.
The commission has initially pegged the Kelowna complaint figure at 18.
Kelowna Mounties have recently encountered a wave of public outrage after a man was kicked in the face during an arrest earlier this month.
The commission statistics also show Richmond RCMP had 10 complaints, the second-highest number in Metro Vancouver after Surrey. Burnaby followed with nine complaints.
The Richmond detachment has more than 200 officers while Burnaby has close to 300.
Meanwhile, Coquitlam RCMP had seven complaints, Ridge Meadows had four, North Vancouver had three, and Maple Ridge and White Rock had two each.
Prince George Mounties had one of the highest numbers provincewide, having received 18 complaints.
A spokesperson for the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP said the complaint numbers have not been finalized.
“They’re very preliminary,” Kate McDerby told the Straight today by phone, calling them “raw numbers”.
Robert Gordon, director of Simon Fraser University’s school of criminology, questioned how well the statistics reflect what actually happens between RCMP and the public.
He claimed many potential complainants don’t come forward with allegations.
“Either people don’t want to be bothered or they’re fearful of the consequences of making a complaint, and especially where it involves a complaint against the RCMP,” Gordon told the Straight today by phone.
In B.C., more than 6,500 sworn RCMP officers provide policing for more than three million people, or around 71 percent of the population.
The Mounties police rural areas, First Nation reserves, small communities, and dozens of municipalities throughout the province.
A Surrey RCMP spokesperson declined to comment, referring questions about disciplinary matters to RCMP provincial officials.
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