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b.c. police watchdog launches systemic probe into workplace sexual misconduct
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office of the police complaint commissioner prabhu rajan.
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b.c.’s civilian police watchdog is launching an investigation into how municipal police departments deal with sexualized conduct in the workplace, a recurring issue in investigations, said the office of the police complaint commissioner.
workplace-related sexualized conduct could include inappropriate communications, sexual assault, and predatory behaviours by officers in positions of authority.
sexualized conduct in the workplace is at odds with the high ethical standards expected of police officers, said commissioner prabhu rajan.
“such conduct can compromise operational effectiveness, perpetuate systemic barriers to gender equality in policing, and erode public trust,” he said in a news release wednesday.
sexual misconduct could also reflect problematic attitudes and undermine police interactions with people, particularly survivors of sexual or gender-based violence, he added.
the investigation is the first systemic probe launched by the independent agency, which oversees complaints and investigations involving 15 municipal police forces in b.c. including the vancouver police department, surrey police service, victoria police, and abbotsford police.
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amendments to the police act in 2024 expanded the opcc’s mandate to allow it to self-initiate systemic investigations in the public interest.
the aim of the investigation is to examine and make recommendations about policies and procedures for preventing, reporting, investigating and addressing sexualized conduct within police forces; access to support; training; potential barriers; and perceived or real risks of consequences for people who report cases of sexualized conduct.
the agency said the investigations are not focused on assigning blame in individual cases, but are meant to examine systemic issues and develop recommendations to address underlying issues that affect police practices. the recommendations are not legally binding.
according to its 2024/2025 annual report, the number of investigations by the opcc rose by 10 per cent compared to the previous year.
half of all allegations of misconduct involved police abuses of authority, with the majority related to excessive uses of force complaints.
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