Police officers are vested with an enormous amount of responsibility, and an enormous amount of power to carry out those responsibilities. Police are given powers to stop, detain, question, search and arrest individuals. They are issued firearms and can use force, including lethal force, in carrying out their duties.
CCLA fights to ensure there are clear and strong limits on police powers to detain, search, arrest, use physical force, and otherwise curtail individual rights. We also fight for effective oversight and accountability mechanisms for police, to ensure that those who wield power and enforce the law must also be subject to the law.
A Reflection of The Health of Our Democracy: Police Accountability
Canadians come into contact with the police every day—whether as victims, witnesses, suspects, or simply as members of the public. How we are treated by the police, the rights we are afforded in these interactions, and the remedies we can expect when our rights are violated by those with power is a reflection of the health of our democracy.
Police have unique powers in our society, including the ability to use force.
These policing powers demand great scrutiny and oversight from the public in order to ensure that individuals and communities are treated with respect and dignity.
To effectively ensure police and other government actors do not abuse the powers they have been given over citizens, it is essential to have reliable, transparent systems of accountability in place.
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