Inquiry launched into use of force by B.C. police: commissioner
British Columbia's human rights commissioner has launched an inquiry into the use of force by police against racialized people and those with mental health issues in the province.
The inquiry will build on the findings of a 2021 report, which revealed a "disturbing pattern of discrimination" by police in B.C., the commissioner's office said in a news release Tuesday.
The commissioner says the inquiry is in response to growing concerns that police disproportionately use force against non-white communities and people experiencing mental health issues.
"While available information suggests that force is used more frequently and with greater severity against these groups, there is currently no comprehensive data quantifying the impacts in B.C.," the office said.
The inquiry will gather the data and make recommendations to the province to address those concerns.
"There is a direct connection between equity and community safety. Systemic discrimination erodes the foundation of trust between communities and law enforcement, jeopardizing the safety of all residents," commissioner Kasari Govender said in the release.
"This inquiry aims to better understand who is at the receiving end of use of force by police, whether any disproportionate impact revealed amounts to systemic discrimination and what can be done to address any equity issues that emerge. As I have said before, 'we cannot act on what we do not know.'"
The commissioner's 2021 report examined data from five policing jurisdictions in B.C., and described how Black, Indigenous and other racialized groups are overrepresented in arrests and chargeable incident statistics.
The data – collected from police departments in Vancouver, Surrey, Nelson, Duncan and Prince George – also found that Black, Indigenous and Arab/West Asian people are significantly overrepresented in police encounters with people experiencing mental health issues.
"We know from our earlier work, and from listening to racialized people from across B.C., that potential disparities in policing activities demand monitoring and action," Govender said. "The role of the commissioner’s office is to shine a light on inequities and address them directly to ensure justice for all. That is what this inquiry seeks to do."
The B.C. Human Rights Commissioner is an independent officer of the B.C. legislature. Govender started her five-year term in the role on Sept. 3, 2019.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian border workers vote in favour of possible strike: union
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
BREAKING Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who skewered fast food industry, dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
BREAKING World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza's Rafah
Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling on South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
Milk sold in Canadian stores tested for avian flu: Results of 303 samples
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Ontario patients visiting emergency rooms out of fear of being booted by family doctor
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Outdated rules and mounting losses: Can anything be done to fix Canada Post?
Canada Post needs drastic measures to staunch the fiscal bleeding and revamp its operations after a tough decade, experts say.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.