Kinngait RCMP service was 'grossly inadequate,' says RCMP watchdog report on violent arrest
CBC
A Kinngait, Nunavut, man knocked down by an RCMP vehicle during an arrest in 2020, and later violently assaulted in a holding cell by another inmate, wasn't taken to the health centre for 16 hours, a report from the RCMP's watchdog says.
That was among several findings made by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CCRC) in a report released earlier this week.
The RCMP detachment in Kinngait provided "grossly inadequate" service, according to the CRCC.
"The level of under‑resourcing observed is such that it raises concerns about possible systemic discrimination," the report said.
As a result of the report, the Kinngait detachment will be entirely replaced. It will have eight cells and will be built over the next several years, according to Nunavut RCMP Chief Supt. Andrew Blackadar.
The commission launched a complaint and investigation following the June 2020 incident, which was caught on camera and drew national attention.
The 22-year-old man, identified as A.B. in the report, was placed in a cell with an inmate who had just been pepper sprayed. The commission found that that man, referred to as J.J., had been washing his eyes out with toilet water because his cell didn't have running water and an eyewash bottle was in another room.
"Despite this having been known to the RCMP for at least two years, the toilets and sinks had still not been replaced," the report said.
"The man, who was seriously injured and still in his underwear, was then left for over ten hours in a cell covered in blood, water and various bodily fluids."
A.B. was medevaced to Iqaluit after he was brought to the health centre the following day, after business hours.
The report said the Kinngait detachment officers made "considerable efforts to manage a nearly impossible workload within constraints that created unsafe situations" that night.
"This case has shown that the situation in Kinngait is quite dire," the report said.
The Kinngait detachment received 37 calls that night and had five officers on staff.
The RCMP officers involved refused to be interviewed by the commission. The officer driving the police vehicle, Const. Michael Keeling, submitted a written statement.