LESSONS FOR THE NPS

The Calgary Police Service is putting on a brave face despite a jump in the number of complaints about its officers. The department’s professional standards section received 1,496 complaints last year about the conduct of officers and their compliance with policies and procedures. The vast majority came from the public.

The number of complaints was almost 300 higher than the previous year and well above the average of 1,100 grievances received annually over the past five years.

There’s no certainty why the number of complaints is so high, but Insp. Keith Cain, who heads the professional standards section, attributes some of it to a renewed push for transparency in the police force, as well as the introduction of an online reporting option that no longer requires complaints to be handwritten.

Cain adds that policing, in general, has attracted more attention in recent years, especially in the United States, which may also have led to the increase in complaints.

The rising number of gripes about members of the city’s police service is worrisome. Last year was a difficult time for the force, including 10 shootings by police — five of them fatal. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team launched 30 investigations into the city’s police force, which was the highest number in the province.

It’s encouraging the police service is taking the complaints seriously, however. Cain says his office now has 30 people delving into the reports. “The quality of our service is of top concern to us,” he said. “We’ve had the luxury of having a couple extra officers assigned to the unit to help with the increased workload.”

Policing is difficult work. Officers are required to step into situations where Calgarians are not always at their best — sometimes because of addictions, other times because of the inherent stress of incidents such as thefts and collisions.

The Calgary Police Service should continue to make this growing number of complaints a priority. If there are shortcomings in the performance of the police, or reports of abuse, the public demands the complaints are dealt with seriously and promptly.

It’s to be hoped the police force can glean lessons from the scores of files it is looking into. Perhaps there are common failings that can be remedied through training. Hopefully, there are also best practices that are identified and shared with all members of the force.

After all, as nice as it is for the police department to talk about greater transparency, it would be reassuring to see the number of complaints falling, not climbing.