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By Gabriel Zarate
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, January 8, 2009

NWT - Complaints against RCMP members in the Northwest Territories are on the rise, according to the civilian body that monitors the police service.

The Commission for Public Complaints received more complaints against NWT-based RCMP members in 2008 than in any other year so far.

Commission for Public Complaints vice-chair Brook McNabb visited Yellowknife in March 2008 as part of a nationwide outreach program to raise awareness about the CPC's role as the RCMP's civilian overseeing body. - NNSL file photo

The commission (CPC) has received 24 complaints since April 2008. There were 15 complaints recorded from April 2007 to April 2008, and eight in the April-to-April period of 2006 to 2007. The commission compiles these complaints for the government's fiscal year, beginning and ending on April 1.

There were 178 Mounties serving in the NWT in 2008.

“Our most important job to be effective is to maintain the confidence of the public,” said Staff Sgt. Colin White, the non-commissioned officer in charge of RCMP professional standards in the NWT and Alberta.

White said the RCMP can make mistakes and some complaints are justified, but not all.

Complaints against the RCMP can be made either to the local detachment or to the commission office in Ottawa.

Commission for Public Complaints spokesman Nelson Kalil said roughly half the complaints nationwide are made to the commission instead of the police force's individual detachments.

“We prefer people to come to us so we can monitor from a civilian perspective,” Kalil said.

He said the cause of the increase in complaints is not clear. It could be because of increased public awareness about the presence and the role of the commission rather than a lack of confidence in the RCMP.

In March 2008, CPC vice-chair Brook McNabb visited Yellowknife and several other Canadian communities to tell people about the organization and its role.

Grant St. Germaine, superintendent of the RCMP's employee management relations office, said most complaints when they are first made involve a lack of communication between the Mountie and the person making the complaint. In most cases the complaint is resolved in a meeting between the complainant, the Mountie in question and the detachment commander to discuss the situation, he said.

The most common complaints logged by the commission were about the quality of criminal investigations or allegations of “improper attitude” among RCMP members, according to Kalil.

If an informal resolution isn't possible, the complaint is investigated.

St. Germaine said the RCMP tries to have an independent detachment carry out investigations – one that is unrelated to the officer in question. This is not always possible, however – particularly in smaller and more remote communities. Additionally, the RCMP's preferred policy is to have any complaints against its members investigated by a corporal, or higher-ranking officer.

The complainant and RCMP member are kept appraised of the investigation on a monthly basis. If a complaint involves a breach of the law by the RCMP, the commission launches a separate statutory investigation which could result in criminal charges and/or yet another investigation into a possible breach of the RCMP Code of Conduct.

The commission may require a review if it's not satisfied with the RCMP's investigation. Members of the public also have the right to demand a review by the commission if they are not satisfied with the RCMP investigation into their complaint. Kalil says about 10 per cent of complaint investigations lead to a review by the CPC.