Alberta RCMP handling probe into alleged misconduct by three VPD officers
Credit to Author: Cheryl Chan| Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2019 03:23:43 +0000
Alberta RCMP is conducting the investigation into alleged misconduct by three members of the Vancouver Police Department’s counter exploitation unit, the B.C. government confirmed on Monday.
The probe was referred to the RCMP’s K Division in Alberta in 2017, said a statement from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. The investigation “is ongoing and any inquiries can be redirected to them,” it said.
Concerns about the conduct of the three officers, who worked in the same unit as disgraced detective Jim Fisher, surfaced as part of an investigation conducted by Vancouver police into the actions of Fisher, who is currently serving a 20-month sentence for sex-related offences against two vulnerable victims of crime.
After the VPD informed the B.C. Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner of its findings, then-Commissioner Stan Lowe ordered an independent criminal probe into the matter “due to the seriousness of the allegations,” Andrea Spindler, deputy police complaint commissioner, told Postmedia News last week.
The VPD hasn’t provided details on the allegations involving the officers, whose names haven’t been released. It also declined to confirm the current employment status of the officers.
The investigation only came to light last week during an appeals case in B.C., where the lawyer for a pimp convicted after an investigation by the unit brought up the matter. On Nov. 20, lawyer Marilyn Sandford, representing Tamim Albashir, expressed frustration over delays in getting disclosure related to the Fisher file. She said the three officers are under investigation for corruption-related offences.
A once-celebrated detective with the unit, Fisher was sentenced last year for sexual exploitation and breach of trust.
The counter exploitation unit investigates prostitution and criminal-exploitation cases.