WEST Vancouver police are again being called in to investigate another police force after a suspect was hurt during arrest in Williams Lake.
Several West Vancouver investigators are now in the Central B.C. community to conduct a criminal probe into the actions of an RCMP officer there who has been accused of assaulting a man after a July 21 police chase.
"The 35-year-old suspect was eventually located and arrested," according to a an RCMP release. "He sustained injuries during the arrest and is currently still in hospital."
After interviewing all the parties involved and reviewing the facts of the case, the West Vancouver team will decide whether the Mountie should face criminal charges.
Any time a person is killed or injured in a police incident in British Columbia, an outside force is called in to investigate. RCMP involved incidents often land on the desk of municipal forces like West Vancouver's with the aim of minimizing the perception of pro-RCMP bias.
In June, West Vancouver constables were dispatched to Penticton to investigate an alleged assault of a suspect by an officer there.
In 2011, the force cleared Prince George RCMP of wrongdoing in an incident in which officers Tasered an 11-year-old who was believed to be carrying a knife.
Attorney General Shirley Bond announced last year that the province would create a civilian-led Independent Investigations Office to ensure that police in B.C. are never left in charge of investigating themselves. That office, however, is not expected to be up and running until September.
The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner has been notified of the Williams Lake incident.
