Report calls forbettercop training

REVIEW MAKES MANY RECOMMENDATIONS

Awide-ranging report on the Calgary Police Service’s use of force stresses the need for continuous on-the-job training, speedier reviews of fatal confrontations and a better understanding of mental illness.

The independent review by retired Court of Queen’s Bench chief justice Neil Wittmann released Tuesday makes 65 recommendations aimed at both the police force and provincial agencies.

Wittmann wants patrol officers on the front lines to have annual training on how to de-escalate intense situations.

“It’s not good enough to do it on a one-off basis, to say, ‘Well, I took that training in 2017 or 2018’ and then for 2022 to roll around and you haven’t done it again,” he said.

The police force does a good job reinforcing hard skills, such as using firearms or physical techniques.

“What is not done is an emphasis on what they call the soft skills — that is trying to get a police officer into a position where he or she is not required to use force,” Wittmann said.

From 2012 to 2017, there were 21 shootings by Calgary police officers that killed eight people and injured 10. Between 2015 and 2017, Wittmann said less than one per cent of police interactions involved any force.

He did not delve into how that compared to other Canadian cities.

During the past year, Wittmann said he personally interviewed 190 people, including officers, families of those affected, mental-health experts and academics.

Wittmann’s report flagged delays in reviewing situations where police used force and urges more resources for the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, the provincial police watchdog, as well as for the medical examiner.

He said it takes an average of three years between a lethal police encounter and a fatality report.

“I think that’s unacceptable and I’ve recommended that the province insert some timelines to get these things done quicker.”

The review said police should work with Alberta Health Services to ensure officers know if they’ll be responding to a call involving someone with mentalhealth problems.

“I believe it is incumbent on the police to acknowledge that this is now a critical component of their job,” Wittmann wrote.