It has only been five days since the early morning incident on Burrard Street involving three area police officers.
From the moment the Vancouver Police were called to the scene, many of us realized that this would be a case that could polarize public opinion, shake their faith in the justice system and offer every police critic a new platform to speak from.
While I abhor the actions that are attributed to these members I am very pleased with the VPD response.
The public learned about the instance because only hours after it happened we were releasing all the information we could in an open and transparent manner.
I am also pleased with the unprecedented swiftness of this investigation.
Over the weekend we had six investigators working full-time interviewing nine witnesses and the three officers and reviewing all available evidence.
We have also interviewed the victim at length and offered him the support of our victim services personnel.
I can assure you that it is highly unusual for an assault case to receive this unprecedented level of attention, priority and urgency.
I can now tell you that based on the investigators' thoroughness and diligence we are prepared to recommend criminal charges to Crown Counsel.
We are recommending that the West Vancouver officer be charged with robbery.
We are also recommending that the New Westminster officer be charged with assault and possession of stolen property.
We are not recommending charges for the Delta member. We do not have evidence to support any charges against this member. We do have some evidence that he may actually have tried to intervene to stop the assault.
In the matter of any racial overtones to the crime, we have the victim's statement that a racial statement was made but the victim cannot say who may have said it. As a result, we cannot recommend a charge against any individual, but instead leave it as a matter for the courts to take into consideration.
We have been consulting with Crown Counsel at the highest levels and they will be assessing the information and recommendations we have provided.
I have spoken today with the three Chiefs of these members' departments and can tell you that they share my concerns that this entire matter be dealt with seriously and investigated aggressively.
The results of our investigation will assist them in conducting their own Police Act investigations in order to determine the status of these officers.
I know that the actions attributed to these officers have angered and frustrated those of us in law enforcement who have dedicated their careers to keeping our communities safe while building a lifetime reputation of integrity and honesty.
I know I speak on behalf of those men and women in law enforcement who still take pride in all they do when I say that this incident is an aberration that cannot and will not ever be tolerated.
