A report released by the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner shows 79 misconduct investigations were conducted against municipal police forces in B.C. last year -- up 65%.
The report tracks complaints from the public and 14 municipal and First Nation police detachments, and covered the period between April 2018 to the end of March this year.
During that time the OPCC looked into 1326 allegations of misconduct, a 15% hike from the previous year.
Of those, 403 involved allegations of injuries as a result of police actions, a 36% increase -- with a significant number relating to police dog bites and from "empty hand" techniques -- or use of force without the aid of weapons.
Police Complaint Comissioner Clayton Pecknold says it's important to know the majority of the ordered investigations were reported by the police departments themselves and that despite increases in investigations, misconduct remains a small fraction of B.C. police force interactions with the public.
The investigations resulted in 3 dismals -- including former VicPd Chief Frank Elsner.
Meantime, the OPCC received 487 complaints from the public, which is down 7%. The Office adds the rate of complaints from the public has remained relatively stable over the past 5 years.