B.C. policing: Ditch RCMP, move to provincial service says all-party committee

The B.C. government should stop contracting the RCMP to handle policing and instead create a provincial police service, according to a report by an all-party committee.

The Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act was appointed to look into systemic racism in policing and how to improve accountability. It was also tasked with looking into what changes could be made in response to questions about whether police should respond to complex social issues such as mental health and addictions.

In a report submitted to the B.C. Legislature on Thursday, the committee makes 11 recommendations it says “call for transformational change in policing and community safety.”

“The Committee heard about of a lack of consistency with respect to delivery of services, governance models, oversight and accountability, the complaints process, and police training,” reads the report from the committee, which was chaired by Nanaimo-North Cowichan MLA Doug Routley. “To address inconsistencies and improve local accountability, responsiveness, and decision making, the Committee recommends transitioning to a new provincial police service, rather than contracting the RCMP.”

Related articles:

• Advocate asks Vancouver police chief to resign over denial of systemic racism

• Vancouver mayor says arrest of Indigenous girl, grandfather at BMO ‘glaring example of systemic racism’

A provincial police service, as recommended by the committee, should be governed by a “Community Safety and Policing Act.”

The president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs supports this move.

“Moving away from the RCMP represents an opportunity for a more responsive policing structure in British Columbia that truly reflects the diversity of all of our communities, native and non-native, and will reflect the values and the interests and the concerns of our communities throughout this province,” said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.

“The national police force and all of its racist baggage have simply failed. And it’s time for us to move away from the RCMP and British Columbia and replace it with something that is truly made in B.C.”

Phillip says a systemic transformation is “long overdue.”

“Indigenous people’s relationship with the RCMP has been dismal at best.”

He says the RCMP “is deeply steeped in colonial racist notions, and have not worked well for us.”

“There’s been too many deaths in custody and tragedies, as a consequence of the racist notions … Quite frankly, it’s time to get rid of the RCMP in British Columbia.”

Moving to such a model, the report says, would mean establishing a governance model and “amalgamating police services on a regional basis where there are opportunities to address fragmentation, ensure equitable access to policing and public safety, and improve efficiency and effectiveness.”

It would also ban mayors from serving as police board chairs.

“The RCMP has never been able to divorce itself from those colonial notions of being a militarized police force, and we’ve seen that demonstrated in Wet’suwet’en territory. We need something other than the RCMP,” Phillip said.

“I think the sun has set on the RCMP in this country, certainly here in British Columbia. We need something that’s going to work that reflects the interests of our communities throughout the province, Indigenous and non Indigenous.”

In a statement, the commanding officer of the BC RCMP says the force will “fully analyze and review the Committee’s report and their recommendations.”

“Until that fulsome review is completed we won’t speculate on next steps,” said Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald.

“Discussions around the role and future of policing are not limited to B.C. and includes considerations such as governance, accountability, service delivery and funding. Efforts are already underway to evolve, modernize and enhance policing.”

Values of decolonization, anti-racism

The Community Safety and Policing Act, as proposed by the committee, would govern the provision of public safety services, including policing, in B.C., “based on values of decolonization, anti-racism, community, and accountability.”

The committee says Indigenous people and nations should be engaged with the drafting of the legislation, as should municipal governments.

“Indigenous people being directly involved in the drafting of this progressive proposed legislation is consistent with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples at care in British Columbia. So I definitely support that,” Phillip said.

The committee also recommends all Indigenous communities have “direct input” into their police service structure and governance, including self-administered services which could provide policing to neighbouring non-Indigenous communities.

Among the other recommendations, the committee is calling for better coordination and integration of services to address mental health and addictions. It specifically mentions “integrating mental health within 911 call options.”

It also calls for provincial standards, policies, and expectations with respect to conducting wellness checks; responding to reports of sexual assault or people experiencing a mental health crisis; and conducting interviews with a trauma-informed approach.

911 alternative needed says Crisis Centre of B.C. 

Taking a shared responsibility in helping people in crises is key to a transformed system, says the Crisis Centre of BC.

The organization, which provides 24/7 phone and online crisis support, says an alternative to 9-1-1 would not only provide emotional support and safety planning for the person who needs help, but also speed up the dispatch of fire, police, and ambulance services where they are needed.

“When we help people in crisis regain control of their lives, we avoid the ‘revolving door’ of sending folks who do not require hospitalization to the Emergency Room, accompanied by police,” said Executive Director Stacy Ashton.

“The COVID pandemic has shown us how important it is to conserve emergency resources. Why wouldn’t we offer evidence-based, non-coercive, and effective alternatives to people in crisis?”

Police and public safety services should also be “representative of the diversity of communities served,” the committee adds in its report. It recommends officers and new recruits be screened and evaluated for their performance of things like humility, honesty, empathy, and lack of bias and prejudice, and that all police undergo regular psychological assessments.

Police services should also be required to report disaggregated data based on race and other demographics, the committee says.

Richmond, Burnaby mayors voice disadvantages of move

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie admits he foresees problems in creating a provincial police service, especially since his city previously reviewed its police service a few years ago.

“[The City] decided that our long term goal was to stay with the RCMP and that we are satisfied with the service.”

The mayor adds, he’s weary to have a provincial force because a shared service could look different for bigger and smaller regions.

“The smaller city [may] feel that they are paying more than their proportionate share,” he said. “When you’ve got a shared detachment of RCMP between two jurisdictions, one bigger, one smaller, and you have discontent, imagine what it’s going to be like with all these areas all over the province. For the life of me, I don’t know how it’s going to work. And we will have to go from broad generalities to the pragmatics of it all.”

Meanwhile, Burnaby’s Mayor Mike Hurley says he can identify the positives but says his City is pleased with the RCMP’s efforts in the area.

“Our RCMP are … responsiveness to our neighbours and to what our needs are within the city,” he said. “However … I see some positives in there too, especially when they’re talking around the mental health issues and the addiction issues that we’re all seeing on our streets.

“However, the devil is always in the details. So policing is an issue, and I think police officers are many times unfairly sent to sent to situations that they are not equipped to handle and should be handled within the health system, instead of policing,” he added.

He adds the disadvantage of the RCMP is the difficulty in getting Ottawa’s attention to meet the needs of the B.C. communities.

Related articles:

• MPs study of systemic racism in policing concludes RCMP needs new model

• Vancouver Police Board hits back at Mayor’s ‘systemic racism’ comment

In a statement, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth says the recommendations “echo our government’s belief that everyone deserves equal treatment by the police.”

“This has not always been the case for many Indigenous, Black and other people of colour.”

In December 2019, Vancouver police handcuffed Maxwell Johnson and his 12-year-old granddaughter at a downtown BMO branch after a bank worker reported the pair. Police said the call was made because the worker claimed they produced “fraudulent Indian Status cards” when trying to open a bank account.

The status cards were later determined to be valid.

Last month, a former judge found the two officers involved professional misconduct and that officers acted oppressively.

The incident led to a police complaint commissioner investigation and an apology from BMO. Johnson also filed a human rights complaint.

“Human rights tribunals need to hold institutions accountable for systemic racism,” Johnson said. “Visible minorities are under constant threat of racial profiling by organizations, and discrimination by police.”

In May 2021, Vancouver police wrongly detained Selwyn Romilly along the seawall. Romilly, who is the first Black judge named to the BC Supreme Court, said police told him they were looking for someone who caused a disturbance and that he matched a description of the suspect.

According to Romilly, who is 81, police said they were looking for someone between 40 and 50 years old.

In 2020, Palmer said systemic racism wasn’t evident in Canadian policing. In the days following Romilly’s wrongful detention, Palmer apologized to the former judge. Palmer was asked if the event changes how he viewed that. He said, “No, it doesn’t.'”

Farnworth says the report will be reviewed and promises discussions with various organizations have begun.

“We have already begun reaching out to partners to discuss how we will review the report’s recommendations and, starting in late summer, we will be discussing the recommendations with Indigenous partners, community advocacy organizations, health and mental-health groups, police leadership, agencies and police oversight bodies in order to meet the new vision for the Police Act as envisioned by the committee.”

With files from Martin MacMahon, Nikitha Martins, Tarnjit Parmar, and Robyn Crawford