Community Outreach and Engagement
The Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner’s community outreach program was created to raise awareness of the police complaint process and better understand how the OPCC can best provide effective policing oversight to all British Columbians. The OPCC meets with and delivers presentations each year to Indigenous groups, not-for-profit and other community organizations, academic and legal institutions, and police departments. The OPCC will continue to build and maintain relationships with organizations with an interest in the police complaints process and policing agencies to strengthen public confidence in policing and the OPCC’s role in providing impartial civilian oversight of potential policing misconduct.
Purpose
- Building strong relationships: This process is the foundation of long-term relationships that may identify other support agency service providers, who will be important to the OPCC’s role throughout B.C.
- Community input: We would like to hear from organizations about community concerns and ideas related to civilian police oversight system.
- Improving accessibility: This process will carefully navigate dialogue by focusing on the OPCC’s legislated oversight role only, and sharing accurate information that is informative, transparent, and accountable to our service delivery.
- Understanding the process: Ensuring community groups and leaders understand the police complaint process with accessible and relevant information for each audience group.
Community engagements to date
In Spring 2024, we began a series of engagements to hear directly from community organizations and leaders located in municipalities with OPCC oversight of police complaints. Below is a summary of the engagements and information sessions completed so far.
What was it? These engagements doubled as both an opportunity to meet the new commissioner and hear about the OPCC’s role in the complaint process, and for us to learn from those affected by potential municipal policing misconduct and the unique issues faced by community members in these regions.
When were they?
- BC Assembly of First Nations, June 10, 2024
- BC First Nations Justice Council, July 16, 2024
- Canadian Mental Health Association – B.C. Division, July 18, 2024
- BC Civil Liberties, July 19, 2024
- S.U.C.C.E.S.S, July 26, 2024
- Disability Alliance of BC, July 26, 2024
- Aboriginal Committee to End Homelessness, August 7, 2024
- West Coast Leaf, August 8, 2024
- DIVERSEcity, August 8, 2024
- Ending Violence Association of BC, August 9, 2024
- Coalition of Missing and Murdered Women and Girls, August 15, 2024
- Circle of Indigenous Nations, August 21, 2024
- Nelson Cares Society, August 22, 2024
- Nelson Community Services Society, August 22, 2024
- ANKORS, August 22, 2024
- Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy, August 22, 2024
- Our Place Society, September 24, 2024
- Lookout Housing and Health Society, October 9, 2024
- Métis Nation BC, October 17, 2024
Get Involved
We want to hear from you
The OPCC wants to hear from a broad range of organizations that support community members with the police complaint process – from multi-cultural organizations where English is a second language, mental health and disability advocates, Indigenous Nations, not-for-profit societies, and those assisting the unhoused and unemployed or underemployed. We value your time and expertise and want to ensure you have the information you need to support your community members.
Send us a request for an outreach and education orientation or presentation, and we will make every effort to create the right opportunity for your organization. Please direct your request to info@opcc.bc.ca and put Outreach and Education in the subject line.