Threshold and Reporting for Major Case Management

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Definitions

Command Triangle: Consists of the Team Commander, Primary Investigator and File Coordinator for a Major Case investigation, who, in addition to their individual responsibilities, are jointly involved in making key decisions about the investigation.

Director: The Director of Police Services referred to in section 39 (1) of the Police Act.

File Coordinator: A member of the Command Triangle that reports directly to the Team Commander and is responsible for establishing the business rules and system protocols; assessing investigative material and ensuring complete tasking which includes that investigative strategies are completed; and where applicable, disclosure and prosecution support is provided.

Major Case: For the purpose of these Standards, includes:

(a) The types of investigations listed in Standard (1) of BCPPS 5.2.1 Threshold and Reporting; 
(b) Any other investigation, including a type or category of investigation, or a particular investigation, which the Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner, or a delegate thereof, has determined, with due regard to the factors listed in Standard (3) of BCPPS 5.2.1 Threshold and Reporting, requires Major Case Management.

Major Case Management: A methodology for managing major incidents that provides accountability, clear goals and objectives, planning, utilization of resources, and control over the speed, flow and direction of an investigation. 

Officer: A constable appointed under the Police Act or an enforcement officer appointed under section 14.15 of the Police Act.

Primary Investigator: A member of the Command Triangle that reports directly to the Team Commander and is responsible for controlling the speed, flow and direction of the overall investigative process.

Sexual Assault: For the purpose of these Standards, includes: sexual assaults under Part VIII and sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual exploitation under Part V of the Criminal Code of Canada.

Team Commander: A member of the Command Triangle and the person to whom overall authority, responsibility and accountability for an investigation are conferred, including its resources (human and physical) and mandate, and adherence to the principles of Major Case Management.

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Standards

Investigations where Major Case Management automatically required

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer or Commissioner must:

(1) Ensure compliance with BCPPS 5.2 Major Case Management for the following investigations:

(a) Homicides, as defined in section 222(4) of the Criminal Code of Canada;
(b) Missing persons, if foul play is suspected;
(c) Found remains, if homicide is suspected;
(d) Sexual Assaults that are suspected to be serial or predatory in nature;
(e) Criminal investigations of:

(i) Workplace deaths or serious injury, or
(ii) Mass casualties and injuries; and

(f) Non-familial abductions.

Other investigations where Major Case Management required

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer or Commissioner, or a delegate thereof, must:

(2) In addition to the investigations listed in Standard (1) above, ensure compliance with BCPPS 5.2 Major Case Management for any other investigation, including a type or category of investigation, or a particular investigation, with due regard to the factors listed in Standard (3) below, requires Major Case Management.

Process for identifying other investigations where Major Case Management required

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer or Commissioner, or a delegate thereof, must:

(3) Ensure that a process is in place whereby investigations with any of the following elements are referred to a Team Commander, Primary Investigator or File Coordinator to assess and make recommendations regarding the need for Major Case Management:

(a) Investigations that include:

(i) Confidential informer(s) or agent(s), or
(ii) Complex investigative techniques, or
(iii) An authorization to intercept private communications;

(b) Investigations of violent crimes that likely spans multiple jurisdictions or multi-jurisdictional gang/organized crime investigations;
(c) The volume or type of disclosure materials and/or exhibits may exceed the routine capacity of the police service;
(d) The offence or incident under investigation is believed to be sexually motivated and either serial or predatory in nature; or
(e) The offence or incident under investigation involves complex or rarely used legislation.

(4) Ensure that any Team Commander, Primary Investigator or File Coordinator referred to under Standard (3) above meets the criteria for these roles set out in BCPPS 5.2.2 Command Triangle and Investigative Team.

(5) Ensure that the steps in the process referred to under Standard (3) above are documented, including:

(a) the referral of an investigation to a Team Commander, Primary Investigator or File Coordinator for assessment,
(b) the recommendations of the Team Commander, Primary Investigator or File Coordinator, and
(c) the decision of the Chief Constable, Chief Officer, commissioner, or delegate.

(6) Ensure that the process referred to under Standard (3) above is:

(a) Either:

(i) In the case of a municipal police department or designated police service, reviewed and approved by the police board; or
(ii) In the case of the provincial force, reviewed and approved by the Commissioner; and

(b) Filed with the Director.

Annual report

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer or Commissioner must:

(7) Ensure that an annual report is submitted to the Director, that includes the following information:

(a) The number of new Major Case investigations initiated during the year of the report, including a breakdown of these investigations by:

(i) The type of offence or incident involved, using Uniform Crime Reporting rules regarding the most serious offence, and
(ii) The status of the investigation (i.e., ongoing/concluded) at the time the report was prepared; and

(b) The number of investigations referred to a Team Commander, Primary Investigator or File Coordinator for assessment as required by the process referred to under Standard (3) above.

Policies and procedures

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer or Commissioner must ensure that:

(8) Policies and procedures are consistent with these BC Provincial Policing Standards.

Annotations

Serial in nature: refers to crimes of a similar nature where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that they were committed by the same offender(s), within the same or multiple policing jurisdictions.

Predatory in nature: refers to activity characterized by systematic targeting for the purpose of exploiting others for one’s own gain.