RCMP watchdog calls out 'unreasonable' use of force during wellness checks
Date: July 22, 2020
Classification: Unclassified
Branch/Agency: CRCC
Issue:
The CRCC’s media release identifying its concerns over the RCMP’s response to wellness checks and persons in crisis.
Proposed Response:
- In the last five years, the CRCC has issued 14 reports in individual cases where it found the RCMP’s actions towards persons in crisis or in response to wellness checks was unreasonable.
- The CRCC has observed a trend that the RCMP’s “command and control” authoritative approach to these calls, instead of de-escalation, has led to the unreasonable use of force in apprehending persons in crisis.
- Other leading reports, such as the Braidwood Commission, Justice Iacobucci’s independent review of the Toronto Police Service, and the Ombudsman of Ontario recent report, “A Matter of Life and Death” have reached similar conclusions and advocated a de-escalation approach.
- In 2016, the CRCC recommended a review of the RCMP’s policies and training with respect to communication and the use of force concerning persons in crisis, which the RCMP accepted.
- Recent research has shown that joint response teams with police and mental health professionals results in less use of force, less time spent by police, and fewer arrests.
- In 2020, the CRCC recommended that the RCMP work with provinces and territories to create health-care led response options to persons in crisis and to limit police involvement in wellness checks to cases where there is criminality or a risk to public safety.
Background:
On July 21, 2020, the Chairperson of the CRCC issued a statement on the CRCC’s public website commenting on trends observed in the RCMP’s response to persons in crisis and wellness checks. This led to several media articles.
The CRCC has issued 14 reports in the past five years concerning individual cases where it has found unreasonable conduct in relation to a person in crisis or a wellness check.
In reviewing these cases, the CRCC has observed a general trend of RCMP members adopting a “command and control” approach, which has sometimes led to the unreasonable use of force. This observation is consistent with reports from other expert bodies, including the Braidwood Commission on Conducted Energy Weapon Use, Justice Iacobucci’s independent review of the Toronto Police Service’s approach to persons in crisis, and the Ombudsman of Ontario’s recent report, “A Matter of Life and Death”. These reports all advocate against the use of standard police commands and recommend a de-escalation approach.
As a result, the CRCC recommended in a 2016 report a review of RCMP policies and training with respect to communication and the use of force. The RCMP Commissioner agreed with the CRCC’s recommendation and in a response dated September 4, 2019, she outlined various amendments to RCMP policy and improvements to training that had been undertaken. This included a new training module for RCMP cadets on responding to mental health situations.
More recently, the CRCC highlighted the need for the RCMP to involve mental health professionals in its response to persons in crisis. This was based on a recent public statement from the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health advocating such an approach and the CRCC’s research of academic literature. This research revealed that joint response teams resulted in less use of force and fewer trips to the hospital, less time spent by police responding to these incidents, fewer arrests and apprehensions, and an increase of referrals to mental health resources.
In its 2020 report, the CRCC recommended that the Commissioner of the RCMP direct commanding officers to work with provincial and territorial partners to create appropriate health care‑led response options to persons in crisis in the community.
The same 2020 report also commented on the RCMP’s role in responding to “wellness check” complaints, as many of the same issues overlap with these types of calls for police assistance. The CRCC recommended that the RCMP consider amending their policies to limit police involvement to cases where it is necessary based on criminality or a risk to public safety.
The CRCC recognizes that sometimes a police response to a person in crisis will be necessary and important. However, the CRCC’s position is that mental health professionals should be leading the response, with police providing support as necessary.
The CRCC has not yet received a response from the RCMP to its 2020 report (issued on July 8, 2020) or to the remaining 12 reports noted above (issued between May 2017 and April 2020).
Contacts:
Prepared by: Jason Tree, Senior Counsel, CRCC, [Redacted]
Approved by: MIchelaine Lahaie, Chairperson, CRCC, [Redacted]
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