FSIN Agrees RCMP Should Not Investigate Itself

FSIN Agrees RCMP Should Not Investigate Itself

Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 14:40

 

 

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says it agrees with recommendations laid out by an RCMP watchdog.

 

Yesterday, the commission for public complaints against the RCMP said Mounties shouldn’t be the ones carrying out investigations into serious accusations against its own members.

 

The group says there are too many opportunities for problems to develop among officers who are investigating their own colleagues.

 

It also found there are no national standards or policies for investigators to follow when carrying out inquiries.

 

FSIN Vice-chief Morley Watson says the federation has been saying these things for years.

 

He feels the RCMP is doing itself a disservice by investigating its own members, because the force then puts its own credibility in question.

 

The vice-chief says it would make more sense for an independent, civilian-led group to investigate Mounties accused of serious offenses.

 

Such a body would need the ability to make some strong recommendations to ensure that justice is served in situations where investigations are needed, Watson says.

 

Watson says a lot of confidence could be restored in the public’s confidence about law enforcement if steps like this were taken.