RCMP head says AG report will make police service better

The head of the RCMP across Canada seems to be welcoming a report this week that was very critical of the national police service.

On Tuesday, the interim auditor general released a report that said the RCMP isn’t sure that all of its officers have access to the rifles and body armour which would be needed in an active shooter situation.

Among other things, the report also said the service mismanaged the purchase of carbines after the Moncton shooting, as well as the distribution of the guns and their maintenance.

Commissioner Brenda Lucki said anytime the RCMP gets a report like that, it’s always good.

“We’re not a perfect organization, but when we have those reviews, it’s good to take them in (and) make sure we become better because of it,” said Lucki.

She started to say that maybe there were some errors, then backed off of that phrasing.

“There’s always a way better than we can do to account for our training and our equipment, and if the report makes us a better organization, then bring it on,” she said.

The RCMP accepted all of the recommendations from the report and Lucki said the force is working on them. She said the focus was mostly on carbines and body armour, but she also talked about critical incident response and the training being done for things like immediate action rapid deployment and de-escalation training.

Lucki said the RCMP has come a long way and explained most of the recommendations are completed or will be in a timely manner.

“We have to make sure that all members across the country, no matter what province they’re in, are well-equipped to be safe and keep Canadians safe,” said Lucki, who was in Regina for the change of command at RCMP F Division.

— With files from the Canadian Press