SAANICH POLICE TO PROBE CLAIMS AGAINST SIX VANCOUVER OFFICERS

Vancouver Chief Constable Terry Blythe has asked Saanich police to
investigate the conduct of six officers accused of vandalizing a home during
a minor drug bust and trying to cover up their actions in court.

Blythe called upon Saanich Chief Constable Derek Eagan to provide an
investigator "who will have full and independent conduct of a thorough
investigation," said a statement from Blythe's office released late Friday.

"He [Blythe] recognizes that the allegations which have recently been made
into the conduct of a number of Vancouver Police Department members
regarding the execution of a search warrant and the subsequent court
proceedings are very serious," the statement said, adding Vancouver police
will remain at arms-length from the probe, but will cooperate fully with it.

The internal probe initially announced by Blythe this week had been
criticized by defence lawyers as inadequate.

Blythe said he has retained the services of the law firm Smart and Williams
for advice on this case.

In a ruling released last week, Judge Herbert Weitzel threw out drug-related
charges against three accused drug dealers because he found the officers'
testimony "quite inconsistent" and "completely lacking in credibility."

Following the arrests, the officers searched a Commercial Drive home, where
shaving cream was sprayed in the bathroom, liquor was dumped out of bottles
and pictures were ripped up.

Initial photographs taken by police at the scene did not show any of the
damage, but pictures taken on one of the suspect's cameras show the messy
scene and, in some cases, the shoes or boots of the officers.

The officers will remain on duty.

Don Morrison, the police complaints commissioner, said earlier Friday that
Blythe had already shown signs of being pro-active when it came to
investigating allegations against officers.

He said former chief constable Bruce Chambers, who was fired last June,
restructured the department and changed the head of internal investigations
from an inspector to a lower-ranked staff sergeant.

One of the first moves by Blythe when he became interim chief last June was
to reinstate an inspector in that role.

"I think that's confirmation that he intends the internal investigation
group is strengthened," Morrison said.

"I think it deserves or it needs an inspector, or someone with significant
status in order that it be recognized as a professional necessity for a
police department."

He said this may be Blythe's biggest test since officially becoming chief
one month ago. "And I'm sure he is aware of that as well," Morrison added.

"I'm sure the chief will be carefully looking at this investigation. I think
that he respects Herb Weitzel as well as I do."

He said there are typically about 150 complaints per year levelled against
Vancouver police, and "a good number of those" are handed over by the
department to Morrison.

Morrison said earlier Friday he planned to monitor the internal review to
ensure it met proper criteria.

"In other words, there is no kind of secret society and the public will be
kept informed of what is happening," he said.

"Police managers, I found, often recognize when there should be an external
investigation. This isn't the 1950s anymore."

Blythe may have been mindful of the actions of his predecessor, Chambers,
who last March suspended three officers with pay and then reinstated them a
week later after morale dipped at the department.

Police union president Constable Tom Stamatakis said there was a perception
within the department in the earlier case that the officers weren't treated
fairly.

But he said Blythe is a different chief, and the union is hoping this probe
will be "timely and fair."

He said morale is good now among the officers as Blythe deals with several
pressing issues, such as budgets, finding new recruits, and improving
facilities.

However, he allowed this case has captured the public's attention.

"It is the one that is receiving the most media attention, the public is
more exposed to it and that leads to a lot of questions," he said earlier
Friday.

Weitzel made his ruling Dec. 16, but it wasn't released until last week. The
department has received some criticism for not responding to the judge's
concerns before the media broke the story.

But Janet Henchey, with the federal department of justice, said her office
was reviewing the document to assess whether to appeal and had not advised
Blythe about it. The Crown has since decided there are no grounds for
appeal.

David Fai, a defence lawyer for Miles McCaughey, had argued the police
should not be policing themselves in this case, and had asked the
attorney-general for an independent review or a public inquiry.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said the attorney-general would only go to
such measures in extreme cases.

Peter Kendall, who is representing the other two accused, brothers Anthony
and Joseph Denault, said his clients have not yet decided whether to lay an
official complaint with Morrison.