Edmonton is the area in Canada where there have been the most deaths in shootings involving police this year, according to statistics collected by CBC/Radio-Canada.
Four men were shot dead in incidents involving Edmonton Police Service (EPS) officers between January 1 and April 22, 2022.
This is 30% of all deaths associated with police shootings in Canada during this period.
The series of shootings came a year after a city-appointed task force released a report recommending finding ways to prevent officers from using unnecessary force.
I think we have proof that they don’t really take this report seriously.said Rob Houle, who served on the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force.
However, according to Doug King, professor of justice studies at Mount Royal University, it is too early to draw conclusions.
[Les fusillades] sometimes it can happen in clusters and then you see nothing for the rest of the yearhe said.
However, he believes thatEPS and the Edmonton Police Commission could benefit from an external review of the use of force policies and training procedures.
According to him, such an analysis could take into account the level of crime in the community.
Police training
Generally, the only time a police officer is trained or, under certain circumstances, permitted by law to issue a firearm is for the protection of life, self or others, when no other more reasonable option is available. to him.said Steve Summerville, an expert on the use of force and former officer of the Toronto Police Service.
He said Canadian police officers evaluate their ability to make decisions on the use of force each year, and the Edmonton Police Service has a well-respected training program that emphasizes de-escalation.
In a written statement, the spokesman forEPS Cheryl Voordenhout indicated that the training section ofEPS began reviewing and evaluating its Reasonable Officer Response Framework and Utilization Force Training Program in December 2020.
He added thatEPS often launches its own investigations into shooting incidents involving police officers, to determine what could have been done differently, identifying key lessons and adjusting policy and procedures as necessary.
There is information from Madeleine Cummings
Source: Radio-Canada
