POLICE Complaint Commissioner Prabhu Rajan on Wednesday announced his office has launched its first systemic investigation into how municipal police agencies in British Columbia prevent, investigate, and address workplace-related sexualized conduct by police officers.

“Sexualized conduct in the workplace is fundamentally incompatible with the high ethical standards expected of police officers,” said Rajan. “Such conduct can compromise operational effectiveness, perpetuate systemic barriers to gender equality in policing, and erode public trust.”

“Sexualized conduct within police workplaces may reflect problematic policing attitudes or views and can undermine how police interact with members of the public – particularly survivors of sexual or gender-based violence,” he added.

Workplace-related sexualized conduct by police officers is a recurring issue in investigations under the Police Act. These cases range from inappropriate communications to sexual assault and often involve significant power imbalances. Some cases raise serious concerns regarding predatory behaviours by officers in supervisory roles or positions of authority.

By examining these issues through a systemic lens, this investigation aims to support police officers by advancing best practices, fair reporting processes, and safer workplaces that protect professionalism, well‑being, and trust among members.

The systemic investigation will examine and, where appropriate, make system-level recommendations about:

• policies, procedures, and practices for preventing, reporting, investigating, and addressing sexualized conduct, including processes under Part 11 of the Police Act;
• access to supports and protections for individuals who experience sexualized conduct;
• potential barriers to reporting sexualized conduct;
• availability of safe, impartial, and effective complaint pathways;
• perceived or real risks of reprisal, or other adverse consequences, for individuals who report sexualized conduct;
• training for recruits, members, supervisors, and managers related to sexualized conduct; and
• impacts of organizational culture on the practical application of policies, including norms or practices that may normalize or minimize sexualized conduct, or create barriers for identifying and addressing it.

Following this investigation, the OPCC will deliver and publicly release a report setting out findings and any recommendations.

Additional information about the investigation, including the Terms of Reference, is available here. The OPCC expects to release its final report by April 2027.

The OPCC is an independent civilian office of the Legislature that oversees complaints, investigations, and discipline involving municipal police in British Columbia.