Police training, risk assessment updated for domestic violence cases

Police will get a refresh of mandatory training so they can province an improved response to people who suffer intimate partner violence.

The province says the updated procedures will improve front-line response and promote practices to further survivors’ safety.

“This timely renewal of training materials will prepare officers to better respond to the realities of intimate partner violence today, including its disproportionate impact on Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQ+ people,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “Ensuring that frontline officers have up-to-date information from risk assessment through to charge recommendations, will complement our ongoing work with community partners who are helping vulnerable people transition more quickly to safety and survivorship.”

The coursework updating, completed over the past two years, involved consultation with police, non-police experts and Indigenous partners and sector service providers. It included:

* updating four existing, core training modules that were more than a decade old, so they reflect current best practices and emerging research;

* adding knowledge checks and practical activities throughout the coursework, to help officers put into practice what they learn;

* revisiting factors police use to identify domestic violence risk. This assessment validated 19 existing risk factors and placed added emphasis on perpetrator behaviours intended to oppress, dominate, isolate and control victims;

* integrating new content into the existing, familiar structure of the training, including additional safety-planning and trauma-informed practice considerations, some of which relate to unique factors that Indigenous women may experience in the context of intimate partner violence;

* revised templates to strengthen case documentation in police intelligence systems and, as appropriate, reports to Crown counsel.

The full intimate partner violence course is available and integrated into training for all municipal police agencies, including the Stl’atl’imx Tribal Police Service, that attend the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy.

Existing officers must complete the learning, which takes four to five hours, by the end of 2022.