Winnipeg police reforms going in ‘right direction’ amid corruption woes: chief – Winnipeg
Reforms within Winnipeg police are going in the “right direction,” its chief says after a trial earlier this year detailed officers getting involved in ticket fixing, drug dealing and bribery.
Gene Bowers told the Winnipeg Police Board on Friday that the force is implementing 10 actions to strengthen accountability and public trust in the force, given the fallout surrounding former constable Elston Bostock.
“We’re going in the right direction with a number of these improvements and accountability actions,” Bowers said.
“We’re showing a greater operational accountability and better use of our resources.”
Bostock, a 22-year veteran with the service, was sentenced in January to seven years behind bars after pleading guilty to a list of serious crimes he committed while on the job.
He was investigated and later arrested in 2024 after confidential sources came forward with concerns. Three other officers were arrested alongside Bostock, and those cases remain before the courts.
Bostock faced a slew of charges, including indignity to human remains, drug trafficking, breaking and entering to commit extortion, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.
In one incident, Bostock, who was called to attend the scene of an overdose, took photos of a partially clothed dead woman and shared them with two other officers.
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During his sentencing, court heard that Bostock also sold various drugs, including cocaine, MDMA and psilocybin, to friends and colleagues while on and off duty.
Police found 22 instances where Bostock tried to prevent traffic tickets for friends and acquaintances from being processed by bribing other officers with liquor, cigars and gift certificates. He was successful 12 times.
One of three other officers arrested, Matthew Kadyniuk, pleaded guilty to breach of trust and theft under $5,000 in January and will be sentenced at a later date.
Friday’s remarks are Bowers’ first since his statement after Bostock’s sentencing, in which he called the case a “stain” on the service’s reputation. A spokesperson said Bowers would be speaking with the police board in March about efforts to restore accountability.
The board has tasked Bowers with developing a plan that will address police misconduct in the ranks and promote accountability.
Bowers said Friday that expanding professional standards oversight and leveraging technology for accountability are among the 10 measures the force is implementing.
“We’ve implemented automated monthly productivity metrics and reporting to myself and my executive, creating dashboards accessible to executive management, to divisional commanders, and supervisors now have the real-time performance data to guide their teams and address issues quickly,” he said.
“If people aren’t meeting our standards as far as going to calls … that is reported monthly now, directly to the executive.”
Bowers added that the force is also exploring 24-7 cybersecurity monitoring to detect unauthorized use of its databases, among other measures.
Mayor Scott Gillingham has expressed his trust in Bowers to take police misconduct seriously.
“If there is criminal activity in the future, the chief is not gonna turn a blind eye,” he said in January.
“He is identifying this, rooting it out so that the public can have confidence in the police service.”
The reforms come as police corruption also dominates headlines in neighbouring Ontario.
Toronto’s chief of police said Wednesday that he is launching internal “accountability mechanisms” to try to root out potential corruption in his force after seven serving officers were arrested and charged last month.
Chief Myron Demkiw said a two-year project will look to “prevent, detect, and respond to potential corruption” by focusing on areas including supervision, screening and access to police databases in the wake of the investigation, dubbed Project South.
The major anti-gang and corruption operation run by York Regional Police led to the arrest of seven serving Toronto police officers and one former officer, and the suspension of officers in neighbouring Peel Region.
The chief previously said he will be seeking to suspend six of the accused officers without pay, in accordance with policing legislation.
The accusations triggered a provincewide investigation by the inspector general of policing and a demand from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow that Demkiw “earn trust back.”
— with files from Global News’ Isaac Callan and The Canadian Press
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