Cops’ files missing important documents, say audits of aboriginal police program

OTTAWA – Audits of the First Nations Policing Program found a number of cases in which officers’ personnel files were missing proof they completed basic training, did not have criminal records and were actually Canadian citizens.

Investigators also found apparent violations of aboriginal communities’ policing agreements with the federal government.

The documents come to light following a recent decision by the governing Conservatives to renew the soon-to-expire program for another five years.

The findings of the audits raise questions about the level of oversight inthe $122-million-a-year program.

The federal government pays about half the cost of policing close to 400 First Nations and Inuit communities across Canada, while the provinces and territories pay for the rest.

The program, which started in 1991, covers the cost of about 1,250 officers, who serve more than 338,000 people.