OPCC’s annual report shows changing landscape

by ahnationtalk on January 10, 202559 Views

January 9, 2025

Victoria – The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner’s (OPCC) 2023-2024 Annual Report has been reported to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and posted on the OPCC’s website. We would like to acknowledge that the work of the OPCC takes place across unique and diverse traditional Indigenous territories. We thank the ləkʷə̓ŋən (Lekwungen) people, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, for their stewardship, care and leadership on the land on which our main office is located in downtown Victoria, BC.

The OPCC’s work focuses in large part on ensuring that every complaint lodged against a municipal police officer or department is dealt with in a fair and impartial manner. This report highlights the steps taken to improve accessibility to the complaints process to all members of the public, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit Peoples, in a culturally relevant and safe manner, recognizing there is much work to do in this area.

“I acknowledge the harmful and ongoing impact of colonialism and accept the existence of systemic racism in the justice system,” said Police Complaint Commissioner Prabhu Rajan. “The OPCC is also a product of this system, and we are committed to ongoing learning and a pathway to reconciliation in our journey forward.”

The Office has also expanded its outreach and education work in the past year and included connecting with more than 50 community support agencies to increase awareness of the OPCC, and translating general information and complaint resolution brochures, as well as the complaint form, into a total of 13 languages.

“To support our accessibility efforts, we engage with agencies that support people from diverse communities and populations, advocacy groups, and public sector organizations to listen and learn,” said Commissioner Rajan. “Too often we have found that complainants face barriers around English as a second language, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, disability, and/or socioeconomics.”

Once a complaint is received, there are different ways a complaint may be resolved, including the use of restorative approaches such as complaint resolution or mediation. It is a path that puts people first, bringing complainants and officers together to find meaningful resolution.

Prabhu Rajan
Police Complaint Commissioner

NT4

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