Pangnirtung (Jan 30/06) - It took three years, a mountain of paper work, and an independent investigator, but the Qaqasiq family in Pangnirtung has finally got an answer they can agree with.

On Feb. 3, 2003, two RCMP officers pulled Darryl Qaqasiq from his home and put him in a crippling choke-hold officers are forbidden to use. Qaqasiq lost consciousness in the struggle.No charges were laid in the incident.

After the family filed a complaint about the violent arrest, the RCMP investigated the officers but found there had been no wrongdoing.

Not satisfied, the family took their complaint to the RCMP Complaints Commission in Ottawa which found the officers had acted improperly.

What has the family furious is that the officers are not facing any disciplinary action, and they are still working for the RCMP.

Constables Shawn Devine and Richard White are still in the RCMP. According to Leesee Qaqasiq, Darryl's mother, Devine is with the "B" Division in Newfoundland and White is working for "O" Division in Ontario.

"It's like saying they did something bad and that's OK," she said.

It was Leesee who filed the original complaint against the RCMP in 2003. When an internal RCMP investigation found no problem with the arrest, she turned to the RCMP complaints commission, which can point out a problem, but it is up to the RCMP to address it.

In its report, the commission revealed that the officers entered the home without a warrant and used banned choke-holds.

"We need to tweak their performance, and keep our investment in the members," said RCMP Superintendent John Henderson.

The officers are not facing any disciplinary action, but will get more training, he said.

Henderson said the RCMP will send an apology to the family.

Henderson is still trying to figure out why the original RCMP investigation did not reveal the problems with the arrest, but he stands by the concept of RCMP investigating their own.

"The ability to investigate ourselves is something we defend. I have great confidence in our investigators," said Henderson.

The original investigators were from within Nunavut's "V" division.

Leesee said the investigation has taken too long.

"It was very slow. There were times when I was asking if they were even real people. At one point the receptionist was telling me that there were 200 files in front of mine," she said.

Her family has filed a civil suit for $4.5 million.

"I want to, even more now, now that I know somebody believes us. There were days where I was thinking 'this can't be happening in Canada,'" said Leesee.