British Columbia's police watchdog has opened an office in Nanaimo in order to more efficiently deploy investigators across Vancouver Island.
In its 2024-25 annual report, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. stated that its regional office on Uplands Drive is "fully operational." Plans for regional offices began in 2023-24, Simon Druker, IIOBC spokesperson, told the News Bulletin in an e-mail. Nanaimo was chosen "because of its centralized location on Vancouver Island" and it was thought it would improve response times to incidents, help with recruitment and retention, and build on communication with local governments, Indigenous communities and police agencies.
There have been three files related to the Nanaimo RCMP opened thus far in 2025, according to information from the IIOBC's website. Investigations are ongoing for an April 20 file, involving an arrest in which a man suffered an apparent "self-inflicted" injury, and another from April 26, in which the operator of a motorcycle and passenger were reportedly injured in a crash during a vehicle stop. A Feb. 8 file, involving serious harm, concluded with no public report.
Druker said public reports may be released if the chief civilian director thinks it's in the public interest.
During the past five years, there have been between three to five files related to the Nanaimo RCMP each year.
In May 2022, a constable was acquitted in B.C. provincial court in Nanaimo after being charged in a 2018 case. While judge Brian Harvey accepted the woman "sustained significant injuries," he saw the officer as "a reliable and compelling witness" and his actions were "proportionate and reasonable in the circumstances to protect himself from being further assaulted by [the woman]."
A charge is pending for a file in which a man suffered dog-bite injuries during an April 2021 stop on the Trans-Canada Highway in Ladysmith.
Nanaimo RCMP said it was unable to comment, as anything related to the IIO must come through B.C. RCMP's headquarters. In an e-mail, Staff Sgt. Kris Clark, B.C. RCMP senior media relations officer, told the News Bulletin that IIOBC's role is necessary.
"Independent oversight is a critical component to maintaining public trust and confidence in the police when situations arise where police actions, or inactions, result in serious harm or death," he said. "Having a completely independent body to investigate such incidents supports transparency and mitigates negative public perceptions over 'police investigating police.'"
Clark said B.C. RCMP has a positive working relationship with the IIO and its investigations are often supported by specialized police resources, such as forensic identification services; however, "communication is typically limited to providing them with information in our possession that could assist in their investigation."
According to the report, the IIOBC initiated 174 new investigations across the province in 2024-25, concluded 47 investigations and recommended 12 files to Crown counsel for consideration of charges.
