RCMP lax in tracking clothing: internal review
Fraudulent use of Mountie uniforms cited in 2020 mass murders in Nova Scotia
An internal review of the RCMP’s control policies for its uniforms, launched after a gunman used official clothing to impersonate a Mountie as he murdered 22 Nova Scotians in 2020, says rules are being broken and better accountability is needed.
“The Review concluded that policies are in place for the ordering, reimbursement and disposal of uniform items, but that procedures are not being consistently followed,” says a summary, obtained under the Access to Information Act.
The briefing note for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says rules on uniforms need to be tightened, and purchases and invoices need to be verified. The review examined the period between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021.
The review’s final report, completed last October, has not yet been made public. “It is expected that the report may garner media attention,” warns the LeBlanc note, dated February this year.
In April 2020, a gunman in a replica RCMP cruiser wore various pieces of RCMP clothing and kit while murdering 22 Nova Scotians over 13 hours. The killer had collected items from friends, family, vendors and online outlets to disguise himself and his vehicle, using firearms obtained illegally.
A commission probing the mass murder later issued a report, among whose 130 recommendations was a call for tighter control over police uniforms. “The RCMP and other police services should review their policies on the management and disposal of police uniform[s] … including a process for tracking items issued, returned, and destroyed,” says No. 45.
The RCMP has declined to release the internal review report, including a formal request under the Access to Information Act, saying the document would be posted on the web sometime before Aug. 3.
On March 5 in Dartmouth, N.S., RCMP brass gave an update to a federal-provincial progress monitoring committee on what the force has done to implement recommendations of the mass casualty commission. The subject of uniforms was not part of the presentation.
The force has also posted updates of its actions on a website, including initiatives surrounding better controls for uniforms. But the posted notice does not refer to the problems cited in the briefing note for LeBlanc. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Kim Chamberland declined to say whether the review has been shared with the monitoring committee, citing confidentiality.
One recent control measure, never announced, is a decision to remove the word “Police” from the shoulder flashes on the grey shirts worn by members of the RCMP’s volunteer Pipes and Drums Bands.
The bands are largely made up of civilian members, with some regular officers. “The RCMP is not aware of any instances of members of the public confusing Band members for police officers,” said Chamberland, adding that all members also wear kilts to distinguish themselves from on-duty officers. She said the process of changing the shoulder flashes is not yet complete.
Stung by the 2020 murders of 22 people by a police impersonator, the Nova Scotia legislature passed the Police Identity Management Act in 2021 to curtail the fraudulent use of police kit, including uniforms and vehicles. “No person shall display the word ‘police’ … on a uniform, an article of clothing, an insignia or a vehicle or another sign or symbol if the display of the word ‘police’ might mislead the public,” says one of its clauses.
In early 2021, the federal government imposed a moratorium on the sale of used RCMP vehicles, and has resisted calls by the RCMP to lift the ban.
The so-called progress monitoring committee for the mass casualty commission next meets in Ottawa on June 10-11, under newly appointed chair Myra Freeman.