Community Engagement for Equitable Policing

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Definitions

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

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Standards

Community awareness and outreach

The Board, or the Commissioner must ensure that:

(1) The police service maintains a community relations component or function to liaise, build relationships and ensure communication, with community representatives, service providers or advocates reflective of the demographic makeup of the community.

(2) Information is provided to Officers about the area served, including at minimum:

(a) Its demographic makeup;
(b) Local First Nation community(ies) and elected and traditional leadership;
(c) The history, traditions, and laws of the local First Nation(s), including the history and legacy of police relations with the local First Nation(s) and Indigenous community(ies); and
(d) Key services and resources available through other public and social service agencies (e.g. services and resources relating to assisting persons living or relying on public spaces, support for specific groups).

(3) Information is provided to members of the Board about:

(a) The demographic makeup of the area served by the police service;
(b) The local First Nation community(ies) and elected and traditional leadership;
(c) The history and current status of Indigenous peoples, including the history and legacy of police relations with Indigenous peoples in British Columbia; and
(d) The history, traditions, and laws of the local First Nation(s), including the history and legacy of police relations with the local First Nation(s) and Indigenous community(ies).

(4) The information provided in Standards (2) and (3) above:

(a) Is, where possible, developed with input from, or delivered in collaboration with, relevant groups to whom the information refers;
(b) Is periodically reviewed and updated to ensure relevancy and accuracy; and
(c) Is provided in a manner that is conducive to: fostering relationship building, ongoing learning, and where possible, experiential learning.

Community input on priorities and objectives

The Board, or the Commissioner must ensure that:

(5) Processes are in place to seek input on the priorities, goals and objectives for policing and law enforcement, from a broad spectrum of their community, including from:

(a) Municipal council(s);
(b) Indigenous leaders;
(c) School district(s);
(d) Community organizations and groups (e.g. advocacy groups, leadership at places of worship, Indigenous organizations);
(e) Members of the public; and
(f) The business community.

Community satisfaction

(6) A survey of citizen satisfaction with and attitudes toward police services, consistent with Public Safety Canada’s standardized metrics endorsed by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is conducted at least once every three years, in a manner that supports accessibility and mitigates systemic barriers to participation.

Integrating community relationships into performance management

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

(7) The performance management tool for the evaluation of recruits by field training Officers includes consideration of the knowledge, skills, and abilities related to community relationship building, including with marginalized, racialized, or vulnerable persons.

(8) Community relationship building, including with marginalized, racialized, or vulnerable persons and community organizations or groups, is a consideration when assessing Officer performance.

Policies and procedures

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

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