VANCOUVER — The head of B.C.’s police watchdog hopes the province’s drive to remove restrictions on hiring former police officers will help the organization fill positions that have been vacant for months.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) is a civilian-led body that investigates incidents of death or serious harm involving police officers in B.C.
This week, Attorney General David Eby proposed two amendments to the Police Act, one of which will eliminate, for two years, the requirement that the IIO not hire an investigator who has been a member of a B.C. police force at any time within five years of their appointment.
Former police officers from jurisdictions outside B.C. can already be hired right away.
Ron MacDonald, the IIO’s chief civilian director, said the change will allow the organization to draw on a broader pool of candidates for investigative vacancies.
The office, which is supposed to have three teams of 10 investigators, had two competitions for open positions last year, but there are still seven vacancies for investigators and one for a forensic investigator.
MacDonald said the investigator shortage puts a strain on his teams, making it difficult for them to conduct timely investigations.
“I think it’s important to keep in mind the government’s goals with respect to the ‘civilianization’ of the office, but at the same time here we need to fill the positions and make sure our experience level is high,” he said.
MacDonald said about half of the investigators are civilians with no police training and the other half are former police officers.
