Oversight and Accountability 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.

Investigative Team: Police Officers and civilian staff assigned to a Major Case investigation on a permanent or temporary basis, including the Command Triangle.

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

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

Oversight

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

(1) The Team Commander is accountable to a senior Officer responsible for monitoring the progress of a Major Case investigation.

(2) The senior Officer responsible for monitoring the progress of a Major Case investigation must have appropriate knowledge and skills, including previous experience in a Command Triangle role.

(3) The Officer responsible for monitoring the progress of a Major Case investigation must ensure that the investigation is reviewed at appropriate intervals to support the timely identification of and response to potential issues, including at minimum:

(a) Unless a suspect has been identified or there is a clear direction to the investigation, within seven days of the start of the investigation;
(b) Unless charges have been referred to Crown Counsel for approval, within eight weeks of the start of the investigation.

(4) The review referred to under Standard (3) above must be conducted by a person who:

(a) Has expertise in Major Case Management and/or another subject directly relevant to the investigation;
(b) Is able to provide objective analysis of the investigation; and
(c) Is not a member of the Investigative Team.

(5) The review referred to under Standard (3) above must include, at minimum, consideration of whether:

(a) Relevant investigative strategies have been identified and effectively pursued; and
(b) The investigation is appropriately resourced.

Reporting

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

(6) Processes are in place to ensure regular reporting to senior management regarding a Major Case investigation.

Internal audit

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

(7) An internal audit of a sample of Major Case investigations is conducted each year, using generally accepted audit sampling methods.

(8) The internal audit under Standard (7) above includes, at minimum, an assessment of compliance with the BCPPS 5.2 Major Case Management.

(9) A report summarizing the results of the internal audit is retained and provided to the Director upon request.

Policies and procedures

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

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