Some upgrades are required at the Vernon RCMP detachment to enhance prisoner safety.
City council has received a report on the local detachment and particularly to do with security.
“The cells are in pretty good condition,” said Denise Mazur, with the departmental security section of the RCMP.
However, some minor deficiencies have been identified.
“We initiated an action plan which has addressed the majority of the identified items and the remaining ones will be corrected in the immediate future. At all times, the cell block remained fully functional,” said Insp. Gord Stewart, with the local detachment.
The work includes repairing the HVAC grills so the hanging points can’t potentially be used for suicide.
“We would like the grill faces changed so there’s no tampering with it,” said Mazur.
Repainting is also needed in the cells so the existing paint can’t be ingested, and light fixtures need to be replaced so they can’t be broken off or potential weapons can be hidden behind them.
It’s not known how many in-custody deaths there have been in the Vernon RCMP cells in the last 20 years.
Between 1982 and 1996, there were 77 in-custody suicides in RCMP cells across the country.
As a result, new cell standards have been initiated to improve detainee safety.
“Our main goal is to prevent this,” said Mazur.
In 2014, there were two suicides in Canadian detachments, and 100 to 150 attempts.
