Summary
The VPD is dedicated to improving police investigations, reducing the risk of victimization for
all individuals in the community, and ensuring that such tragedies are avoided in the future.
The VPD has implemented a number of initiatives to improve missing person investigations,
and investigations generally, including implementing all of the VPD-specific
recommendations made in its Missing Women Investigation Review (MWIR). There are,
however, a number of additional steps which could be taken that would enhance policing in
the Metro Vancouver region, and where missing persons investigations are concerned,
throughout BC, and these are outlined in this submission.
Contents
Introduction --
I.
Police protection of vulnerable and marginalized women --
II.
Structure and organization of policing in Metro Vancouver – regionalization --
III.
Policies and practices in the investigation of missing persons and suspected
multiple homicides --
IV.
Towards more effective missing women investigations: police relationships with
victims’ families, the community and the media --
V.
Policies and practices in the treatment of vulnerable witnesses --
VI.
From report to substantive change – healing, reconciliation and implementation --
VII.
Conclusion --
List of Appendices.
A. Recommendations from DCC LePard’s Missing Women Investigation Review (MWIR) (pages 334-337) -- B. Epilogue from the MWIR detailing changes made (pages 338-339) -- C. August 2011 update as to changes made in the VPD (per August 2011) -- D. The 2004 audit of the VPD’s Missing Persons Unit by Ret. Insp Schouten -- E. Spreadsheet of recommendations from the Shouten Report -- F. Report from Sgt. Fairweather summarizing implementation of the recommendations from the Schouten Report -- G. Table showing performance of the re-structured VPD Missing Persons Office regarding reports of missing women (2002-2010) -- H. SisterWatch report: the tragedy of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada – we can do better (June 2011) -- I. Sex work enforcement guidelines (2012) -- J. Table of diversity among VPD employees as at 2012 -- K. Options for service delivery in the Greater Vancouver Region: a discussion paper of the issues surrounding the regionalization of police services (2008) -- L. Municipal policing in the Vancouver census metropolitan area (2012) -- M. VPD’s Missing persons policy (2012) -- N. Kong et al., “Sexual offences in Canada” (Juristat, catalogue no. 85-002- XIE, vol. 23, no. 6 (2003)).