The Winnipeg Police Service gave an inside glimpse of its use of force training to media at its headquarters Thursday, to bring more awareness to the criteria officers use to justify the use of force on the job.
Media heard what new recruits go through in training, then participated in some simulations of real-life situations that an officer may need to deal with during their work day. The first involved trying to help a person dealing with a mental health crisis.
“We start with teaching them with how to properly and effectively communicate with people that are in stress,” said Colin Anderson, Winnipeg Police Service patrol sergeant. “Understanding when it’s important to use direct commands, or move into more of an emotional and empathetic type of communication to help relate to that person and to get them to cooperate at a peaceful type level.”
Other simulations touched on dealing with people who were aggressive and examples of when officers use force.
Police said the biggest misconception is that officers have a preconceived notion that they’re going to use a certain level of force going in to a situation.
“Ultimately comes down to the person that they’re interacting with and the choices that they’re making in relation to the laws that they’re breaking or whatever the situation may be that the officer is trying to control or stop,” said Anderson.
Members of the Winnipeg Police Service are given use of force training every two years to make sure they’re prepared and have a clear understanding of the criteria.
Winnipeg police say in 2017, 99.62 per cent of calls were resolved without the use of force.
