WINNIPEG, MB - The City of Winnipeg is moving forward to establish a police board, to comply with provincial legislation, The Police Services Act.
The Winnipeg Police Board, which is to be established in a by-law by December 1, 2012, will provide civilian governance regarding law enforcement, as well as administrative direction to support effective policing in our city.
The board will act as a liaison between the community and the Winnipeg Police Service and will receive recommendations from the committees of Council, to ensure alignment with the priorities of citizens as represented by Council.
Appointees to the seven-member board will include two members of City Council, two provincial appointees, and three citizen appointments. A call for applications for board members is also being issued today, and it is anticipated that a slate of nominees will be recommended to Council at its meeting on January 30, 2013.
The Winnipeg Police Service will report directly to the board. This will replace the former reporting relationships the police have had with the Chief Administrative Officer (administration) and the Standing Policy Committee on Protection and Community Services (policy). This change in reporting relationships will not affect day-to-day working relationships citizens and groups have with the police.
The City of Winnipeg received assurances early on in this process that all costs of administering a police board, other than nominal costs, would be borne by the Province.
An administrative report on this topic will be considered by Executive Policy Committee on Wednesday, November 28, 2012. The report can be found here.