Manitoba developing standardized police training

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This article was published 06/04/2023 (1267 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the wake of several police fatalities this year, and the Mass Casualty Commission’s report recommending changes to the RCMP after the 2020 Nova Scotia massacre, Manitoba has set its sights on standardized police training here at home.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced Wednesday that the province has established a steering committee to develop uniform police training across Manitoba.

The committee, which includes Brandon Police Service Chief Wayne Balcaen, will work to establish a public safety training strategy, which includes a provincewide curriculum, cultural components, training delivery options and facilities.

“As we look at the future of policing, we know that it is really based upon training and the training that police officers get, and the importance of developing a common training strategy and a common training curriculum to ensure that our officer are prepared for all those things that they’re going to meet,” Goertzen said at a press conference Wednesday.

Law-enforcement training in Manitoba is currently conducted through the Winnipeg or Brandon police services or the RCMP, but it is not standardized across all three organizations. Other provinces, including Ontario and Saskatchewan, have provincial training academies that ensure officers receive the same training and complete the same programs.

The development of a standardized training program will bring consistency to officer education, Balcaen said.

“You’re going to get the same training and the same officer’s abilities in any of these jurisdictions,” he said.

According to a press release, the training will be “culturally relevant,” although there were no further details provided. Balcaen couldn’t expand on this either, but said generally, police officers require more of that preparation.

“A lot of times, police officers lack specific training on cultural areas, Indigenous people or newcomers to our jurisdiction,” the police chief said. “So, it’s important to have that cultural aspect and understand where individuals are coming from that come in contact with the law.”

The process to create the strategy first began last November when the Department of Justice contracted Clunis Consulting to facilitate the creation of a steering committee. Clunis Consulting was co-founded by former Winnipeg police chief Devon Clunis.

“The creation of a local approach to policing standards for all Manitoba policing agencies — a made-in-Manitoba program — serves to increase public confidence in our policing institutions,” Winnipeg Coun. Markus Chambers, who also sits on that city’s police board, said at the press conference.

The press release described the steering committee as providing a “wide spectrum of community input” to inform the strategy, although, as BU professor Chris Schneider notes, many of the members on the committee are members of law enforcement or formerly held law-enforcement positions.

“If they’re going to call it community based, and you look at the list of names and organizations and it’s mostly law enforcement, is that the same thing as a community?” Schneider told the Sun.

The sociology professor, who has written extensively on policing, said training should include more focus on teaching officers to respect the fundamental human rights and protections of the people they police.

“Police should be learning more about de-escalation techniques, they should be learning more about recognizing people in mental distress, recognizing people who might be in the throes of drug addiction or withdrawal,” he said. “These sort of skill sets typically have not been a part of police training.”

Over the next several months, committee members will be working in smaller groups to develop the strategy.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com