Review of the RCMP's Public Complaint Records
Division Reports: 2008
L-Prince Edward Island
Complaints Received
The Commission received six (6) completed complaint dispositions from "L" Division related to complaints lodged in 2008. Of the complaints received 67% were lodged with the RCMP, while 33% were lodged with the Commission.
"L" Division: Number of Complaints Based on the Organization it was Lodged With
The average number of members named in the complaints was 1.5, with the rank of constable being the most commonly represented rank (56%), with the rank of corporal representing 22%.
"L" Division: Number of Complaints by Member Rank
Allegations
A total of 23 allegations were made against members in "L" Division, which averaged about 3.8 allegations per complaint. The prevalent allegations included "Neglect of Duty" (57%) and "Improper Attitude" (26%).
"L" 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 common issues identified in the complaints were "Attitude" (20%) and "Service" (15%).
"L" Division: Commission-Identified Issues
| Issue |
Number of Complaints |
% |
| Alcohol or Drugs (not intoxication) |
1 |
5% |
| Arrest |
2 |
10% |
| Attitude |
4 |
20% |
| Criminal Investigation Quality (RCMP) |
1 |
5% |
| Entry of Premises |
1 |
5% |
| Intoxication |
1 |
5% |
| Medical Care |
1 |
5% |
| Mental Illness |
2 |
10% |
| Release/Disclosure of Information |
2 |
10% |
| Service |
3 |
15% |
| Vehicular Incidents |
2 |
10% |
| Total |
20 |
|
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 two most frequently occurring allegations: For complaints alleging "Neglect of Duty" the key issue was "Attitude" (24%), "Mental Illness" (24%) and "Release/Disclosure of Information" (21%). This is in contrast to 2007, where the only key issue was "Criminal Investigation Quality (RCMP)" (40%). The main issues identified in complaints alleging "Improper Attitude" included "Attitude" (30%) and "Release/Disclosure of Information" (20%).
Disposition of Complaints
"L" Division: Number of Complaints by Disposition Type
Investigation and Final Report
Of the complaint dispositions the Commission received, 67% were formally investigated and a Final Report issued by the RCMP. These reports made determinations on 18 allegations. The allegation most likely to be subject to a Final Report was "Neglect of Duty"; however, this type of disposition also addressed five (5) allegations of "Improper Attitude" and two (2) allegations of "Irregularity in Procedure". In "L" Division, 100% of the RCMP's findings did not support the complainant's allegations.
Informal Resolutions
The Commission only received one informal resolution, which dealt with one allegation of "Improper Attitude" and one allegation of "Service".
Withdrawals
The Commission did not receive any complaint dispositions that resulted in a complaint withdrawal.
Terminations (Notice of Direction)104
The Commission only received one complaint disposition that captured a Notice of Direction; there was no termination paragraph cited. This complaint contained two (2) allegations; one of "Neglect of Duty" and one of "Mishandling of Property".
Service Standards: Complaint Processing Time105
In 2008, "L" Division, on average, took 78 days to issue a disposition once a complaint was lodged. This is an improvement from 114 days in 2007 and compared to the RCMP national average for 2008 of 103 days. The average number of days to issue a disposition was 70 days for Commission-lodged complaints as opposed to 82 days for RCMP-lodged complaints.
On average, it typically took 523 days for a complainant to lodge the original complaint. On average, complainants waited 1,357106 days after the incident took place before lodging the original complaint with the Commission, while complaints lodged with the RCMP averaged 106 days after the incident.
"L" Division: Complaint Timeline Based on the Organization the Complaint Was Lodged With
The average number of days for the Commission to receive the complaint disposition from this division was 12 for Commission-lodged complaints as opposed to the 92 days it took for RCMP-lodged complaints.
Complaint timelines were also determined by allegation type. For the two most common types of allegations, timelines are reported:
- Allegations of "Neglect of Duty", on average, took 93 days for a disposition to be issued. Typically, complainants waited, on average, 627 days after the incident date to lodge the original complaint for this type of allegation.
- Allegations of "Improper Attitude", on average, took 87 days for a disposition to be issued. Complainants, on average, lodged the original complaint 728 days after the incident date for this type of allegation.
It is interesting to note that within "L" Division complaints involving "Irregularity in Procedure" allegations, on average, took the longest time (116 days) to issue dispositions.
104 The RCMP may decide to terminate a complaint under three strict grounds provided for in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection 45.36(5) of the RCMP Act. These paragraphs are:
- (a) the complaint is one that could more appropriately be dealt with, initially or completely, according to a procedure provided under any other Act of Parliament;
- (b) the complaint is trivial, frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith; and
- (c) having regard to all the circumstances, investigation or further investigation is not necessary or reasonably practicable.
105 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.
106 The range for this average was 36 to 2,678 days. One case related to an incident from 2001 which contributed to the average being skewed.