Review of the RCMP's Public Complaint Records
Division Reports: 2008
G-Northwest Territories
Complaints Received
The Commission received 13 complaint dispositions from "G" Division with complaints involving the Yellowknife Detachment accounting for 38% of the total dispositions. Of the 13 complaints received from "G" Division, ten (10) were lodged with the Commission (77%), while three (3) were lodged with the RCMP (23%). For the Yellowknife Detachment, two (2) of the complaints were lodged with the Commission (40%) and three (3) were lodged with the RCMP (60%).
"G" Division: Number of Complaints Based on the Organization it was Lodged With
The average number of members named in the complaints for "G" Division was 1.3 with constables being represented in all but one complaint (93%). The final complaint was against a staff sergeant. No other ranks were identified.
"G" Division: Number of Complaints by Member Rank
Allegations
A total of 26 allegations were made against members in "G" Division, which averaged two (2) allegations per complaint. The two most common allegations were "Improper Use of Force" (31%) and "Improper Attitude" (23%). For the Yellowknife Detachment, the data indicates that most of the allegations related to "Improper Use of Force" (55%).
"G" Division: Allegations Breakdown
For every complaint disposition received, the Commission analyzed the reason and incident details in order to identify issues related to the nature of the complaint. The most common issues that were raised in the complaints were "Attitude" (16%) and "Arrest" (13%).
"G" Division: Commission-Identified Issues
| Issue |
Number of Complaints |
% |
| Alcohol or Drugs (not intoxication) |
1 |
2% |
| Arrest |
6 |
13% |
| Attitude |
7 |
16% |
| Care in Custody |
1 |
2% |
| Chemical Irritant |
2 |
4% |
| Child Abuse Response |
2 |
4% |
| Child Custody |
1 |
2% |
| Civil Disputes/No Child |
1 |
2% |
| Criminal Investigation Quality (RCMP) |
3 |
7% |
| Detention |
2 |
4% |
| Intoxication |
2 |
4% |
| Lethal Weapons |
1 |
2% |
| Medical Care |
1 |
2% |
| Mental Illness |
1 |
2% |
| Non-lethal weapons other than chemical irritants |
1 |
2% |
| Non-spousal, Non-child Assault Response |
2 |
4% |
| Police Physical Abuse |
3 |
7% |
| Right to Counsel |
1 |
2% |
| Service |
4 |
9% |
| Vehicular Incidents |
1 |
2% |
| Youth Interaction With RCMP |
2 |
4% |
| Total |
45 |
|
Further, the results revealed trends in the issues for each allegation. For the purpose of this analysis, the common issues will be reported for the most frequently occurring allegations:
- The main issues that arose for "Improper Use of Force" included "Arrest" (14%), "Police Physical Abuse" (12%) and "Chemical Irritant" (10%).
- For allegations involving "Improper Attitude" the key issue identified was "Attitude" (29%).
Disposition of Complaints91
"G" Division: Number of Complaints by Disposition Type
Investigation and Final Report
Of the complaint dispositions the Commission received, two (2) (15%) were formally investigated and a Final Report was issued. These reports made findings on five (5) allegations and found them all to be unsupported.
Complaints involving allegations of "Improper Use of Force" were most likely to be formally investigated with a Final Report issued in 50% of the cases. With respect to serious allegations (in this case "Improper Use of Force") the RCMP supported none of the four (4) allegations made.
Informal Resolutions
Informal resolutions occurred in 38% of the cases, which addressed 11 allegations. This is a significant increase from 17% of the dispositions disposed of in this manner for 2007. The allegation that was most likely to be subject to an informal resolution was "Improper Attitude".
Withdrawals
In 46% of all the public complaints from this division, the complainant withdrew the complaint. A total of ten (10) allegations were disposed of in this manner. This is a significant increase from the 33% of the dispositions what were disposed of in this way in 2007. Allegations of "Neglect of Duty" and "Irregularity in Procedure" were most likely to result in a withdrawal.
Terminations (Notice of Direction)
No Notices of Direction were received by the Commission from this division.
Service Standards: Complaint Processing Time92
On average, it took 82 days to issue a disposition once a complaint was lodged. This is in comparison to the RCMP national average of 103 days and a decrease from 106 days in 2007. The average number of days to issue a disposition was 96 for Commission-lodged complaints as opposed to 38 days for RCMP-lodged complaints. This is in contrast to 2007 when the average number of days was 101 for Commission-lodged complaints and 132 days for RCMP-lodged complaints.
On average it took 12 days for complainants to lodge a complaint after the incident date; this is a significant decrease from the average of 339 days in 2007. On average, complainants waited 13 days after the incident took place before lodging a complaint with the Commission, while complaints lodged with the RCMP averaged seven (7) days after the incident.
"G" Division: Complaint Timeline Based on the Organization it Was Lodged With
The average number of days for the Commission to receive the complaint disposition from this division was 63 for Commission-lodged complaints as opposed to the 86 days it took for RCMP-lodged complaints. This is an improvement from 2007, when it took, on average, 93 days for Commission-lodged complaints and 103 days for RCMP-lodged complaints.
Complaints identifying the Yellowknife Detachment, on average, took 75 days to issue a disposition once a complaint was lodged and an additional 74 days for the Commission to receive a copy of the disposition. Typically, complainants waited six (6) days after the incident date to lodge a complaint.
Complaint timelines were also determined by disposition type:
- To issue a Final Report it took 131 days. For these cases, it generally took four (4) days for a complainant to lodge the original complaint that resulted in this type of disposition.
- To enter into an informal resolution it took 77 days. For these cases it generally took four (4) days for a complainant to lodge the original complaint that resulted in this type of disposition.
- For a complainant to withdraw a complaint it took, on average, 71 days. For these cases, it generally took 20 days for a complainant to lodge the original complaint that resulted in this type of disposition.
"G" Division: Number of Days to Issue the Disposition by Disposition Type
Complaint timelines were also determined by allegation type. For the most frequently occurring types of allegations, timelines are reported.
- Allegations of "Improper Use of Force", on average, took 116 days for a disposition to be issued. Typically, complainants waited seven (7) days after the incident date to lodge the original complaint with this type of allegation.
- Allegations involving "Improper Attitude" took 66 days for a disposition to be issued. Complainants, on average, lodged the original complaint seven (7) days after the incident date with this type of allegation.
Interestingly, allegations of "Irregularity in Procedure", on average, took 225 days before a disposition was issued.
91 Within the Disposition of Complaints section, there is a further breakdown to identify in what manner allegations categories have been disposed. For each allegation category, the number of allegations disposed of through each disposition type was divided by the total number of those allegations. These numbers were then compared from one allegation category to the next with the goal of determining which allegation was most likely to be disposed of by a certain disposition type. Therefore, an allegation category was more likely to be disposed of in a certain manner if the percentage disposed of in this way was significantly higher than that of other allegations categories. "Most likely" does not mean most common.
92 By identifying the complaint date and comparing it to the disposition date, the Commission was able to determine how many days it took the RCMP to issue a disposition for each complaint. Similarly, by comparing the complaint date to the date the incident occurred, a timeline can be established to determine how many days elapsed before a complainant lodged a public complaint against the RCMP. With respect to providing the Commission with a disposition, the date of the disposition is compared with the date the document was received at the Commission.