The RCMP is being urged to avoid using police dogs to apprehend youth following a May incident in Prince George where a 12-year-old girl suffered bite wounds.
The Pivot Legal Society, Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, Carrier Sekani Tribal Services and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs have sent a letter to the RCMP's police dog section director Ron Fields saying dogs should only be deployed on youth if there is a clear threat of death or grievous bodily harm to others.
In mid-June, RCMP issued a press release acknowledging the incident and said the New Westminster Police Department had been asked to investigate.
On May 11, police responded to a complaint that someone had sprayed two females in the face with bear mace at a local carnival. They brought in a dog to search for the suspect who was tracked to a locked compound.
The suspect suffered a bite in the leg and was taken to hospital for treatment while the bear mace was later seized. On June 7, her mother showed up at the detachment to complain about the arrest and the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP was notified.
While the press release does not state whether the arresting officer knew he was dealing with a 12-year-old girl, the family maintains that he was aware of who he was tracking and that the girl had not only given herself up but identified herself as a youth before the dog was released, the groups say in the letter.
The family also alleges they were not notified until about 2 a.m., nearly 14 hours after police were called to the scene; the girl was held in an adult jail cell contrary to federal legislation; and she had received 20 stitches.
The group also lists several other similar incidents from elsewhere around B.C.
"It goes without saying that youths should be seen as different than adult offenders, and that greater restraint should be maintained, especially when contact with a police dog has the potential to cause significant injury and lifelong scarring," they say in the letter.
Prince George RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs declined Wednesday to comment specifically on the incident because the police investigation remains active but did say he met with the groups last week to hear their concerns.
The groups also acknowledged the meeting, saying they were advised during the get-together that matters relating to use of police dogs should be addressed to Fields.
The group further noted that, while most police dogs in B.C. are trained to use the "bite and hold" method, the New Westminster Police Department employs a different style, referred to as "minimum force - handler control."
Details on this type of training involved remain secret, the group says, but noted that in the same period Vancouver Police Department sent nearly 150 people to hospital with bite wounds while New Westminster's dog squad had only one.
