Vancouver police have released a new policy to change the process of handcuffing people.
According to police, the new policy will see police officers follow “strategic improvements” when it comes to using handcuffs.
Vancouver police officers will now have to consider if handcuffs are appropriate given the circumstances of the ongoing incident and will have to take into account the suspect’s age, disabilities, medical condition, injuries, size and ethnicity.
Officers who use force will be legally responsible for their actions and cannot view handcuffing as a routine action.
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An officer must also be able to explain why handcuffs were used.
“Before applying handcuffs, a police officer must have lawful authority that is objectively reasonable, is proportionate to the potential risk of harm the officer faces, and is necessary to fulfill a legitimate policing objective,” Vancouver police said in an email.
“A focal point of the policy is that Vancouver Police officers must be able to articulate the specific circumstance necessitating the use of handcuffs to restrain a person.”
The police board launched a review three years ago after officers detained and handcuffed Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter after they tried to open a bank account downtown.
Another recent complaint by retired Supreme Court Justice Selwyn Romilly was heard after officers handcuffed the retired judge in his 80s along the seawall in May 2021 mistaking him for a suspect.
Both of those complaints have now been settled in court.