Latest news with #AmtulSiddiqui
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Calgary police commission to hire consultant to review CPS workplace culture
After years of internal surveys indicating low employee morale among the Calgary Police Service, the organization's civilian oversight body is hiring a consultant to review CPS's workplace culture. Article content While the Calgary police commission decided in March 2024 to conduct a third-party probe, a request for proposals to undertake that work was only issued last week. Article content Article content Article content The RFP, which will stay open until the end of June, will task the successful consultant with evaluating CPS's workplace culture and governance structure. The estimated contract value is $300,000, with the contract duration lasting roughly 17 weeks, from Nov. 1 this fall until March 1, 2026. Article content Article content The review was in response to concerns expressed by former CPS employees, as well as lower-than-hoped scores in yearly internal surveys around trust and how toxic workplace behaviours were being addressed, said Amtul Siddiqui, chair of the Calgary police commission. Article content Although CPS's workplace culture has been assessed in the past, including in 2013 and 2016, Siddiqui argued what makes this review different is the level of transparency and collaboration. She said the commission, the Calgary Police Association and CPS leadership have all committed to assisting the consultant in the investigation. Article content 'We've got the union involved, we've got CPS leadership involved, we've got the commission providing that governance and oversight, and then you have that external consultant who is independent who is helping us do this work,' she said. Article content 'We're quite committed to this as a commission and quite committed to being transparent as we move this along.' Article content CPS said it supports the investigation, calling it an important step to help foster a respectful, inclusive and safe workplace for its employees. Article content 'While we've made meaningful progress in recent years, including the creation of the Office of Culture, Inclusion, and Belonging and reforms in Human Resources and Professional Standards, we recognize that there is still work to be done,' a CPS spokesperson said in an email. Article content 'We are fully committed to participating openly and constructively in the process, and we believe the insights and recommendations it brings will strengthen our efforts and guide the next phase of our journey toward advancing a culture of respect, equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.'
Calgary Herald
30-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Calgary police used less force in 2024 than year prior: report
The use of force by Calgary police officers hit a seven-year low last year, after spiking in 2023, according to an annual report. Article content The report, delivered to the Calgary police commission Wednesday, highlighted that the Calgary Police Service 's use-of-force incidents dropped nine per cent in 2024 compared to the year prior and were eight per cent down from the five-year average. Article content Article content Calgary police officers used physical force 818 times last year, according to the report, down from 901 incidents in 2023. Article content Article content The report highlights that 2023 saw the highest counts since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2024 marked a return to more typical volumes. Article content Amtul Siddiqui, chair of the police commission, said it is encouraging that use-of-force has appeared to level out after the bump in 2023. Article content 'The CPS has a rigorous system for tracking and reviewing all incidents where officers use force, and the information learned helps shape future training to continually improve how officers approach situations,' she said in a statement. Article content 'Our commission has also placed a high priority on the CPS collecting and using race-based data. The latest report shows our shared commitment with the CPS to make sure that racial disparities are identified and analyzed for any systemic issues that need to be addressed.' Article content Article content The report also revealed a two per cent drop in overall police interactions with the public, from 588,407 interactions in 2023 to 574,246 in 2024. Use of force was used in 0.14 per cent of instances, or once for every 702 interactions between officers and the public. Article content A Calgary criminologist said that while police used less force last year, that's partly because 2023 was an outlier. Outside of that year, the number of incidents has remained pretty similar for the last decade. Article content 'If you look at the numbers, you can get lost in percentages,' said Mount Royal University criminology professor Doug King. 'You have to watch about that because the numbers of use of force incidents are actually quite low, so an increase of 10 can really bump things up a bit.' Article content In 2023, officers used their Tasers, also known as conducted energy weapons, 211 times, the report stated, which was well above the five-year average of 161. Last year, officers used their Tasers 165 times, marking a 22 per cent year-over-year drop.
