B.C.害羞草研究所檚 human rights commissioner is launching an inquiry into police use of force against racialized people and people with mental health issues.

The Office of the Human Rights Commissioner announced the inquiry Tuesday (Jan. 30), which is aimed at quantifying the use of force by police agencies in B.C. The inquiry will build on the commissioner害羞草研究所檚 2021 report 害羞草研究所淓quity is Safer害羞草研究所� that revealed a disturbing pattern of discrimination in policing in the province.

害羞草研究所淭here is a direct connection between equity and safety. We need police that exercise non-biased decision-making and also that we eradicate systemic discrimination from policing more generally. That will actually result in safer communities,害羞草研究所� commissioner Kasari Govender told Black Press Media.

She added the inquiry害羞草研究所檚 aim is to better understand who is at the receiving end of use of force by police, specifically looking at demographic data and whether they can understand racial data from that.

害羞草研究所淎ny gaps that we identify in that data, may as well be recommended that they collect that information in the future,害羞草研究所� she told Black Press Media Tuesday.

The 2021 report used an expert analysis of data from five police jurisdictions 害羞草研究所� the Vancouver and Nelson police departments and the Surrey, Duncan and Prince George RCMP detachments 害羞草研究所� to show how Indigenous and Black people are 害羞草研究所渆ither grossly or significantly over-represented in arrest and chargeable incident statistics.害羞草研究所� It also found that a great deal of police activity involves people experiencing mental health issues, 害羞草研究所渋n which Indigenous, Black and Arab/West Asian people are also significantly over-represented.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淓quity is Safer害羞草研究所� was developed as a submission to the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act, which included several recommendations to the provincial government in April 2021. The first reforms from the committee are set to be discussed this spring after a delay in fall of 2023.

Govender said earlier work, and from listening to racialized people from across B.C, shows that potential disparities in policing demand monitoring and action.

害羞草研究所淭his (inquiry) adds an additional area of police activity, which is use of force. It looks at a different kind of policing activity, which is one of the most significant pieces of it. But it also really shifts some of the focus onto mental health, in particular, potentially a different proportion of the use of force against public mental health concerns.害羞草研究所�

The commissioner requested the information from B.C.害羞草研究所檚 Public Safety Ministry, and she said her office has received all of the information requests. The ministry receives annual reports on use of force from police departments in B.C.

Govender害羞草研究所檚 office will analyze the data to 害羞草研究所渄etermine whether it shows any disproportionate impacts to racialized persons or persons with mental health issues.害羞草研究所� She said she hopes to present a report by the end of the year or in early 2025.

害羞草研究所淚 anticipate making quite a targeted report with very practical recommendations as much as possible to allow the ministry or police to really make change, to really give them guidance on how to create change.害羞草研究所�

Black Press Media has reached out to the Public Safety Ministry for comment.

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害羞草研究所� With a file from Tyler Harper