Frank Paul inquiry over
Posted December 15, 2010 1:25 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Twelve strenuous years after his death, the Frank Paul inquiry is now over and a final report will be due to the Attorney General by the end of May. But with closing arguments wrapping up, one lawyer says police take too long to investigate themselves.
Paul was left in an alley to freeze in 1998 after two VPD officers refused to let him in the drunk tank.
In closing, and representing the United Native Nations, Lawyer Cameron Ward says it takes too long for police to investigate themselves. He adds police and the Crown have trouble deciding when an officer should be charged. “In my submission, it would seem, that in British Columbia, that police officers are immune from prosecution in homicide cases.”
He recommends, “That in every police-involved death, once investigated independently, the charge assessment and prosecution function must be handled independently as well.”
That’s in addition to cultural and sensitivity training for Criminal Justice Branch employees.
A lawyer for BC’s first Police Complains Commissioner says the Branch made the decision not to charge officers within reasonable time, given its lack of information right after Paul’s death.
