BarTalk August 2003
Volume 15, Number 4

An interview with Dirk Ryneveld, QC
Dirk Ryneveld, QC was sworn in as B.C.’s Police Complaint Commissioner on February 13, 2003 after returning from The Hague, where he spent four years prosecuting war crimes. He spoke with BarTalk in June.

“The biggest challenge is to promote confidence in the system we have and to provide a balance and a perception of balance.”

BarTalk: How do you envision the role of Police Complaint Commissioner?

We are here to provide civilian oversight over the municipal police forces in this province. In B.C. we have a model whereby we agree that the police will investigate the police. We entrust the police to investigate all kinds of serious crime. Why wouldn’t we entrust the police to investigate allegations, even against their own? What we need however, is to ensure that there is independent oversight. If they know someone is watching who has the power to order more investigation, to order external investigations, and to take issue with their decisions by calling a public hearing, then they know in advance that they are held accountable.

We are well served by our police forces. We are very, very fortunate that we have dedicated men and women who serve and protect. That is not to say that everyone’s conduct is at all times in accordance with every rule and regulation. That’s where I believe the role of the Police Complaint Commissioner is important; that there is civilian oversight and that the decision of the discipline authority, which is usually the Chief of Police in the police force involved, does not have necessarily the final say. It’s almost like acting as an appellate jurisdiction to decide whether there should be a hearing wherein all the factors are aired according to the rule of law and where the truth can be established by having witnesses under oath. We, as lawyers, have always said that the best way to test evidence is to subject it to cross-examination; a public hearing does that.

BarTalk: What are the current issues and challenges?

There is a wide variety of complaints by members of the public about the police, ranging from dissatisfaction about a police officer’s attitude when they get pulled over for a traffic ticket, to very serious matters such as use of force. People view our office as a safe place to complain and that their complaints will be reviewed seriously. I’m trying to put in a program now, whereby the MP and MLA offices can also be areas where people can find a Form 1 Complaint Form and perhaps use the interpreters or language staff that might be available. My budget doesn’t allow me to hire translators of the multi-ethnic groups represented. So I’m trying to find ways to increase public accessibility to our office that don’t have a cost impact.

There are many challenges. The biggest challenge is to promote confidence in the system we have and to provide a balance and a perception of balance, so that people know that there is effective civilian oversight over the police. The challenge will be to actually persuade the public and the police that we are balanced; doing the job will hopefully show that. But there will always be parties who will either view us to be pro-police or anti-police, and we can’t be concerned too much with how we are viewed other than we have to ensure that we instill public confidence in the process. We will do what we think is right. That’s the bottom line.

This article was published in the August 2003 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.