Latest news with #policewatchdog
CBC
22-07-2025
- CBC
Police watchdog charges N.S. RCMP officer with sexual assault
Social Sharing Nova Scotia's police watchdog has charged an RCMP officer with sexual assault. On May 17, the Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) received a referral from the RCMP that a woman alleged she was sexually assaulted by one of their officers on May 16. The officer and the woman are known to each other. As a result of the SIRT investigation, Const. Manas Parray was charged with sexual assault on July 22. Parray is scheduled to appear before the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in Port Hawkesbury, N.S. on Aug. 19. Parray is a member of the force's Inverness County detachment, RCMP said in a news release on Tuesday. Police confirmed Parray is suspended with pay "and all disciplinary avenues are being pursued through the internal conduct process that has been launched." Parray's duty status will be "continuously assessed" throughout the court and internal process, RCMP said. Earlier this month, SIRT charged another RCMP officer with sexual assault. Const. William McNutt of the East Hants District RCMP had already been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault prior to the most recent charge on July 2. He is currently suspended without pay. McNutt has pleaded not guilty to at least two of the charges, and the other cases are still before the courts.
Sky News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Greater Manchester Police investigating grooming cases with more than 700 victims
Despite making "significant improvements", Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has lost the "trust and confidence" of some victims of grooming gangs, according to a report by the police watchdog. Michelle Skeer, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, said that since 2019, when GMP started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, "the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation". The document, published today, said police have live investigations into "multi-victim, multi-offender" child sexual exploitation inquiries, involving 714 victims and survivors, and 1,099 suspects. GMP later said the force has 1,099 lines of enquiry relating to potential suspects but only 269 who are confirmed. 2:00 • Various training gaps within the investigation team • Lack of consistency in evaluating case files between social care, health and police • Failures to initially support victims meant they had "lost trust and confidence" in police The report was commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham in 2024 to evaluate whether police, councils and health services can protect children from sexual exploitation in the future. Its release comes days after Sir Keir Starmer announced he was launching a new national inquiry into grooming gangs after previously arguing one was not necessary, The findings were issued as the final part of the CSE (child sexual exploitation) Assurance Review process which started in 2017. The first three reports examined non-recent child sexual exploitation in Manchester, Oldham and Rochdale. 1:40 HMI Skeer said that the force has been trying to improve its service to those who have experienced sexual exploitation, but previous failings have badly affected trust in GMP. She said: "For some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences. "It is vital that improvements are led by victims' experiences, and if they do come forward, they are supported, protected and taken seriously." 'Very harsh lessons' prompt positive change Home editor @JasonFarrellSky After three previous reports highly critical of GMP's handling of historical child exploitation cases, now comes a glowing report which indicates the force is learning from mistakes and striving to improve. It shows that with intense scrutiny comes positive change. "We have, on the painful experience of children, learned some very harsh lessons," Chief Constable Steven Watson told me - the deep scars of the past have been a strong motivation. There are those who believe this inspectorate report which scrutinises police processes and management doesn't take enough account of victim experience - and looking at the issue from that perspective may yield more negative results. The mayor's office in Manchester is conscious of this and have been actively calling for a national inquiry, knowing that any UK investigation would undoubtedly look closely at Greater Manchester. But it would be wrong not to congratulate some clear improvements at GMP and one thing Louise Casey's rapid review highlighted was that GMP are one of very few forces that are now properly collecting ethnicity data on perpetrators. A recent report by Baroness Casey found a significant over-representation of Asian men who are suspects in grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, adding though authorities are in "denial" more needs to be done to understand why this is the case. Inspectors also said there were "training gaps" in some investigation teams and issues with data sharing, with local councils sometimes not willing to provide detectives with information, leading to "significant delays in investigations" into grooming gangs. It cites problems with intelligence provided by Manchester City Council, which took months to arrive and "was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words", the report said. 6:52 GMP is the only force in the country to set up a dedicated team to investigate grooming gangs. Called the Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team (CSE MIT) it has about 100 staff and a ringfenced budget. In October 2024, the force told inspectors there were 59 live multi-victim, multi-offender child sexual exploitation investigations, of which 13 were being managed by the CSE MIT. The report adds: "The force fully accepts that it made mistakes in the past. "It has taken positive and effective steps to learn from these mistakes and improve how it investigates recent and non-recent child sexual exploitation." Separately, the Baird Inquiry published in July 2024 found officers at GMP were abusing their power - making unlawful arrests, unlawful and demeaning strip searches, sometimes treating victims as perpetrators, and traumatising those who have suffered sexual abuse or domestic violence.
CTV News
17-07-2025
- CTV News
Man dies in Vancouver police custody; watchdog called in
Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO. A man who was arrested by the Vancouver police died in custody Wednesday, according to the department and B.C.'s police watchdog. The 49-year-old man was taken from police cells to hospital around 10 a.m. after 'suffering an apparent medical emergency,' a news release from the Vancouver Police Department said. 'The man received medical attention at the jail and was transported to hospital, where he died,' the statement continued, adding that the Independent Investigations Office was notified of the 'sudden death.' The IIO, in a statement of its own, said the man was arrested around 4 a.m. the same morning and transported to the VPD jail, where he arrived around 4:30 a.m. 'The man was taken to a cell, but later found unresponsive,' the IIO said. Neither agency said what the man was arrested for. The provincial watchdog will investigate if there is any connection between police action or inaction and the man's death, which it is mandated to do whether or not there are allegations of wrongdoing. The IIO's mandate does not currently allow it to probe the actions of jail guards who are not sworn officers – but that will change later this year as a result of amendments to the province's Police Act.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Yahoo
Man critically injured in fall down stairs during arrest, Winnipeg police say
WARNING: This story includes reference to self-harm. Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after Winnipeg police say a man handcuffed by officers for his own safety fell down stairs in a St. Boniface apartment block Thursday and was hospitalized in critical condition. Officers were called to an apartment on the 200 block of Bertrand Street, between Taché Avenue and Enfield Crescent, just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday with a report a suicidal man in his 60s was armed with an edged weapon, according to a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service. The man spoke to officers through the door but refused to come out, threatening to take his own life, police said. Winnipeg police crisis negotiation and tactical support teams — as well as mental health clinicians from the city's alternative response to citizens in crisis, or ARCC, team — were called to the apartment after police deemed the incident an armed and barricaded situation. The man came out of the suite after about two hours of communicating with police. He was handcuffed for his own safety, but broke free from officers and fell down a staircase as he was being led down, according to police. He was seriously injured in the fall and taken by ambulance to hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of early Friday afternoon, police said in their news release. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, the province's police watchdog agency, has been notified about the injury and has taken over the investigation into the incident, the news release said. If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help:
CBC
11-07-2025
- CBC
Man critically injured in fall down stairs during arrest, Winnipeg police say
Social Sharing WARNING: This story includes reference to self-harm. Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after Winnipeg police say a man handcuffed by officers for his own safety fell down stairs in a St. Boniface apartment block Thursday and was hospitalized in critical condition. Officers were called to an apartment on the 200 block of Bertrand Street, between Taché Avenue and Enfield Crescent, just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday with a report a suicidal man in his 60s was armed with an edged weapon, according to a news release from the Winnipeg Police Service. The man spoke to officers through the door but refused to come out, threatening to take his own life, police said. Winnipeg police crisis negotiation and tactical support teams — as well as mental health clinicians from the city's alternative response to citizens in crisis, or ARCC, team — were called to the apartment after police deemed the incident an armed and barricaded situation. The man came out of the suite after about two hours of communicating with police. He was handcuffed for his own safety, but broke free from officers and fell down a staircase as he was being led down, according to police. He was seriously injured in the fall and taken by ambulance to hospital, where he remained in critical condition as of early Friday afternoon, police said in their news release. The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, the province's police watchdog agency, has been notified about the injury and has taken over the investigation into the incident, the news release said.
