Guiding principles for inter-agency cooperation and coordination

The purpose of the BC Provincial Policing Standards for Inter-Agency Cooperation and Coordination is to support information sharing, consistency in practices, and collaboration between municipal, provincial and designated police services in BC with respect to complex investigations involving serious crimes (see also BCPPS 5.2 Major Case Management).

These Standards fulfill a commitment outlined in the BC Policing and Community Safety Plan to address the need for consistency and accountability with respect to targeting methods for police intelligence operations and ensure that all police services are focusing on the individuals and groups who pose the most significant and immediate threat to public safety. These Standards also bring BC in line with other Canadian provinces where compliance with Violent Crime Linkage Analysis (ViCLAS) reporting requirements is mandatory.

The underlying principles of the Standards are that:

Public interest is best served when police agencies communicate and work together to identify and pursue common objectives

Criminal behaviour increasingly crosses jurisdictional boundaries. Effective information sharing and collaboration between police services can increase the ability of police to identify offenders and solve crimes, promoting public safety and the efficient use of resources.

The power of systems and tools is enhanced when used consistently within and across policing jurisdictions

A number of information systems and tools have been developed to support inter-agency information sharing, cooperation and coordination. Full and consistent contribution to and participation in these systems helps to maximize their potential to solve crimes and protect the public.