Prince George RCMP members were cleared of wrongdoing in a serious set of allegations, but the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) saw gaps in the internal investigation.
On Tuesday, Prince George RCMP Supt. Eric Stubbs announced the end of a year-long investigation into a number of detachment members, all accused of sexual and physical abuses on a young woman arrested during a house party.
Jennifer Alexander told a story of group rape and assault by multiple Prince George Mounties that August 2010 night.
The allegations were handed over to an internal investigation specialist with the Kelowna RCMP, said Stubbs, in addition to others.
"This investigation was not independent of the detachment. It is not a decision that will inspire confidence in the community," said BC Civil Liberties Association executive director David Eby.
"There was an officer from Kelowna who came in to do interviews and look into evidence, but it was handed over and completed by the Prince George RCMP."
Not so, said Stubbs.
"He [the Kelowna investigator] ran that investigation, he took it, he did it, period. We did not have any influence on that."
Eby said at the outset of the investigation he wrote a letter to then-Supt. Brenda Butterworth-Carr asking that any internal probe be conducted by a municipal police force from out of province, to add some extra layers of dispassion but Butterwrth-Carr chose not to do so.
"We did have municipal police oversight on this," Stubbs said. "In addition to the Kelowna member's investigation, the case was handed over to the Vancouver Police Department for their review of the file, and they concurred with the findings of the review. Plus, members of the First Nations community suggested an independent civilian observer, and I don't know how that was done but Vincent Prince was selected and he was extremely thorough, took a lot of time reviewing the file and even brought up some points that we then addressed. I was very impressed with how diligent he was in his duties."
Eby said this case "is an example of what will go to the independent investigation office [under design by the provincial government], and the RCMP has been supportive of the establishment of that organization, as have we."
Stubbs said he was confident that the investigation truthfully refuted all accusations against all members, and even uncovered some procedural problems in the conduct of three officers who were given both reprimand and retraining, but these were protocol violations not the criminal offenses that were alleged.
"I don't want to drag the discussions out any more than absolutely necessary, because the complainant has feelings and this is doing her no favours, and I want to be sensitive to that."
He added that the case would get an automatic review by the Commission For Public Complaints Against the RCMP so investigational improprieties might still be flagged.
PRINCE GEORGE CIVIL LIBERTIES
The BCCLA is in the process of opening a Prince George branch office.
"It is going well," said executive director David Eby. "We had 50 people at the first meeting, 40 people at our second meeting. We have the election of an executive board happening this week. We are well ahead of where we thought we would be at this time."
For more information about the group, log on to www.bccla.org.
