A Global News investigation has uncovered disturbing allegations linked to numerous policing agencies in B.C., and the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner has confirmed that its own probe is underway.
According to sources, about 24 police officers were attending an undercover training course, conducted by the association of B.C. municipal police chiefs, at a downtown Vancouver hotel earlier this month. In attendance were officers from the police departments in Surrey, Vancouver, Abbotsford and New Westminster, as well as the Metro Vancouver Transit Police.
Those officers were asked to role-play and show how they might convince those on the wrong side of the law that they weren’t police officers. In one instance, this allegedly involved defecation on another person, food used in a sexual manner, and other even more perverse acts.
Sources tell Global News that the course immediately stopped, and some officers found the role-playing so disturbing that they reported it to their supervisors.
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, which investigates allegations of misconduct by municipal police, said municipal police chiefs reported what occurred to them and requested an investigation under the Police Act.
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“The Commissioner has determined that it is in the public interest to disclose that information has been brought to our attention related to allegations of serious misconduct on the part of a number of officers participating in a recent BC Municipal Police undercover training course,” the office said in a statement.
“The alleged misconduct involves municipal police officers from multiple BC municipal police departments and is alleged to have occurred within the course activities.”
When asked about the investigation, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth said any probe would also involve his ministry’s director of police services
“It sounds disgusting, if those allegations are in fact correct. It’s just appalling, frankly,” Farnworth said.
Members of the RCMP also attended the training, but were not participating, Global News has learned.
“There is no RCMP internal or outside agency investigation dealing with any allegations against a RCMP employee or employees related to the course or the concerns you raised,” the RCMP told Global News in a statement.
It’s believed that nine of the participating municipal officers are under investigation.
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