The Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC) is launching an investigation into the conduct of RCMP members involved in an incident in Kinngait, Nunavut on June 1.
The arrest involving the door of a police truck was caught on video and posted online.
It is also being reviewed by the Ottawa Police Service (OPS).
The video shows a man in the community of 1,400, formerly known as Cape Dorset, struggling to his feet and stumbling in the heavy slush.
A lone RCMP officer arrives in a truck and opens the driver’s side door while still moving.
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Nunavut RCMP officer under investigation after allegedly hitting man with truck in Kinngait
The moving truck door strikes the man, knocking him to the ground.
By the end of the incident, he is surrounded by five RCMP officers and detained for public intoxication.
The man was later assaulted and injured by another inmate while in custody.
The chairperson of the CRCC declined to be interviewed but said she initiated a review after watching video and reading media reports of the incident.
I am concerned with the conduct of RCMP members involved in this serious incident and will monitor both the OPS investigation and the RCMP’s Code of Conduct investigation,” Michelaine Lahaie said Tuesday.
CRCC’s investigation will provide an added level of scrutiny to the incident, as it will additionally examine the circumstances that led to the man being placed in a cell at the RCMP detachment where another detainee assaulted him and he needed to be airlifted to Iqaluit for treatment. I am aware that there is historical distrust by Inuit toward the police and I am committed to increasing RCMP accountability.
The commission’s role is to examine the conduct of RCMP members and, where applicable, make recommendations.
Nunavut RCMP said the officer driving the truck was removed from the community pending an internal investigation.
It is one of five different incidents under review since the beginning of 2020.
It has led to a growing and diverse number of Nunavummiut beginning to call for RCMP to wear body cameras.
