I think being a cop is a complicated job. There's the law, and jackass idiots, drunks, vicious criminals, armed psychotics, terrorists, etc. I just don't think on-the-job training is sufficient. We need a baseline for law enforcement technology by way of a standardized licensing procedure.
Speaking ONLY about Canada. Our national Federal Police service is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The RCMP has national jurisdiction in ALL parts of Canada. Every RCMP constable graduates from the RCMP training Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan, after completing the 26 week training program. Once they graduate, each constable is assigned to either Federal or Provincial duties some place within Canada. Their first assignment is usually for 3 years in one location. So, all RCMP officers take the same training course at Regina, and they all get the same in service annual up grade training, right across the country.
Municipal and Provincial Police also attend Police Colleges, and their training is also a very similar 26 week course, and they also must attend annual training to up grade their skills.
Canada has ONE national Criminal Code, which applies in every part of Canada. Each of the ten Provinces, and three Territories ALSO have Provincial or Territorial Offences Acts, such as the Ontario Highway Traffic Act, or the Manitoba Mental Health Act, which only apply in that location.
Each Canadian Province or Territory has an independent Police Investigation Service, whose job is to investigate instances where a person is injured or dies, while interacting with Canadian Police. Those Investigations are NOT conducted by Police. The investigators are employed by the Province or Territorial Government, and they report directly to the Attorney General of the Province or Territory.
The SIU is given 90- days from the date of an incident, to report to the Attorney General's office, with a determination of the culpability of any Police officers that were involved in the incident. The SIU can and does charge Police officers with offences under the Canadian Criminal Code, and or under Provincial Offense Acts. Police officers in Canada are subject to public scrutiny and prosecution, just like any other person is.
So to answer the original question. Are Canadian Police held responsible for their actions ? Yes, very much so. In fact. they are subject to 2 different sets of discipline. First they are held accountable under the Criminal Code of Canada, and they are ALSO subject to the Provincial or Territorial Police Services Act regulations.
Source ? I was an Auxiliary Police Constable with the Toronto Police Service for ten years. from 1978 to 1988. Auxiliary Constables are not normally armed on duty, but they do go through the same training as the armed Constables, it just takes longer because the course is held 2 nights a week over the course of a year. Further, I was licensed as a Private Investigator in the Province of Ontario for over 20 years. I had to know the Canadian Criminal Code and the Provincial Offenses Acts, in order to conduct investigations on behalf of my clients. JIM.
