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From the Vancouver Sun --
Most shootings by RCMP members do not meet the force's own standards for the use of deadly force, according to an internal RCMP report obtained by The Vancouver Sun.
According to the report, of the 30 RCMP shootings nationwide in 2006 (the most recent year for which data was available), only 10 met the RCMP's test for using lethal force - namely, to protect someone from death or "grievous bodily harm." Another two were outside the officer's control, such as a gun going off in a struggle with a suspect.
Nine violated RCMP policy - such as an officer firing at a car to try to stop it - and another nine were accidental, resulting from a member handling a firearm in an unsafe manner.
The internal RCMP report, completed in early 2008 and obtained by The Sun through the Access to Information Act, says the number of shootings that violate RCMP policy is troubling.
"If the number of [non-compliant] incidents does not significantly decrease in future years, this would be cause for concern and clearly point to the need for additional initiatives to ensure that members are complying with the law and with policy when they resort to lethal force," the report states.
National RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay wrote in an e-mail to The Sun that the force is concerned about accidental and non-compliant shootings.
But she added such incidents are rare given the thousands of RCMP officers on the job.
Tremblay said the purpose of the report was to identify ways the force can improve gun safety.
"This could include activities such as incorporating new training methods or perhaps amendments to policy," she wrote.
According to the report, both accidental discharges and non-compliant shootings had tripled over the past two years - there were just three of each in 2004 - though it notes this may be a result of RCMP divisions doing a better job of reporting mistakes.
The internal report also highlights some stark regional differences in how often officers use their guns.
In B.C., the number of police shootings has dropped dramatically in recent years, from 27 in 2002 to just nine in 2006.
Most of that decline was due to a sharp reduction in officers shooting at vehicles.
B.C. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Pierre Lemaitre said the force's Chilliwack training centre recently produced a training video- made available to all officers in B.C. - that explained they may only shoot a vehicle if it is being used as a deadly weapon, not merely to disable it.
Lemaitre said the refresher course all B.C. officers receive every few years now includes a computer simulation that runs members through scenarios in which they must decide whether or not to shoot a suspect.
"That keeps the members' ... skills sharp," said Lemaitre.
In contrast to B.C., the report notes the number of shootings in Alberta has skyrocketed from just one in 2002 to eight in 2006 (peaking at 12 in 2005).
The report notes Alberta now accounts for nearly one-third of all RCMP shootings, despite the fact fewer than 15 per cent of its members are stationed there.
"[Alberta] is still reporting almost twice as many incidents as would be projected based on member population," it states.
The report states the high rate of police shootings in Alberta is "disturbing," but offers no explanation for why the province's numbers are so high.
Alberta RCMP spokesman Craig Albers said he couldn't explain why the province had more police shootings.
However, he said all RCMP officers in Alberta were recently required to view B.C.'s training video on shooting at vehicles.
B.C.'s relatively low rate of police shootings is in stark contrast to the province's record on in-custody deaths.
A separate RCMP report made public earlier this year found that 56 per cent of RCMP in-custody deaths over the past five years occurred in B.C., even though only one-third of the force's officers are stationed here.
The report on police shootings, prepared by RCMP national headquarters, involved a detailed review of every shooting incident, including any discipline received by the officers involved.
"In a few instances ... the discipline meted out was insufficient to the gravity of the hazard to public safety and human life," the report states.
The report adds that, in some cases, officers who used their firearm improperly got off lightly if the error did not result in any injury or loss of life - something the report argues is a mistake.
"These are high risk incidents," it states. "The golden rule should be that [such cases are treated] as if someone had been seriously injured or killed."
Some of the report's other findings include:
n Five of the nine accidental discharges in 2006 occurred during firearms training, three of which resulted in minor injuries to either an officer or bystander. Two of the accidental discharges involved improper handling of firearms seized from a suspect.
n More than half (53 per cent) of all police shootings in 2006 were by officers with less than 10 years' experience. The report states this could be due to inexperience or the fact rookie officers are more likely to work in front-line policing and on night shifts than senior officers.
n Less than one-quarter (23 per cent) of the bullets RCMP officers fired at suspects in 2006 actually hit their target. The report says this "hit percentage" is in line with that of other police forces, but says it illustrates the need for officers to be reminded "of the importance of firing no more shots than necessary to neutralize a threat." The report adds annual firearms training for members may need to be improved to better reflect real-world scenarios.
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