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Announcement
Commission Releases Final Report Regarding the Treatment of Snipers
OTTAWA — On December 19, 2007, the Military Police Complaints Commission (MPCC) released its final report following a public interest investigation concerning a military police conduct complaint regarding the treatment of snipers, deployed to Afghanistan in 2002, by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS). Following an investigation by DND/CF Ombudsman, the Commission received this complaint in October 2006 and subsequently initiated the public interest investigation.
The Commission's investigation revealed that the investigation launched by the CFNIS immediately following the snipers' return from combat operations did adversely affect the snipers' morale. However the timing of the investigation was unavoidable due to the potential seriousness of the allegations and the need to preserve potential evidence.
The report highlights that the CFNIS investigation was conducted fairly and independently, without interference from the chain of command, with the lead investigator in particular demonstrating genuine sensitivity to the snipers' morale and emotional well-being.
However, it was also noted that the adverse impact on the snipers was unnecessarily aggravated by the length of time taken by the CFNIS investigation (9 months), and by the failure to promptly inform the subjects of the investigation of its conclusion and results. The Commission recommended that, as a general rule, the CFNIS should inform subjects of the results of completed investigations in a timely fashion.
Established by Parliament in 1998, the role of the MPCC is to assure Canadians that allegations of police misconduct are investigated fully and that Canada's 1,200 military police officers are able to carry out their investigations free of interference.
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Claude Dubois
Communications Officer
Military Police Complaints Commission
Telephone: (613) 947-5668
Email: claude.dubois@mpcc-cppm.gc.ca