Professional Standards

The Winnipeg Police Service is committed to ensuring its members serve their community in a safe, professional, and respectful manner.

The Professional Standards Unit is attached to the Winnipeg Police Service Executive and reports directly to the Chief of Police. The mandate of the Professional Standards Unit is to maintain the integrity of the Winnipeg Police Service. It is staffed with one Inspector, one Staff Sergeant, one Sergeants, six Detective Sergeants, and two civilian Administrative Assistants.

The Professional Standards Unit is responsible for managing complaints against members of the Winnipeg Police Service; this includes complaints about employee conduct, Service policies, or service delivery. The Professional Standards Unit investigates these complaints, or when appropriate assigns them to the member’s Division or Unit for follow-up.

The Professional Standards Unit also provides training to members to ensure they understand the accountability and responsibility they have to their community.

The confidence of the public in the integrity of the Winnipeg Police Service must be maintained by the knowledge that the Professional Standards Unit will conduct a full investigation of allegations in a fair, impartial, and thorough manner.

Compliments & Complaints

The Winnipeg Police Service welcomes your feedback – both positive and negative – concerning the actions of our members.  We are committed to serving the community and ensuring that you have complete confidence in the systems that govern our members.

Compliments

To compliment or recognize a member of the Winnipeg Police Service, you have several options, including: 

  • Contact the member’s supervisor directly
  • Contact the Professional Standards Unit at 204-986-7242
  • Write a letter to the Chief of Police
  • Complete the online form

If you don't know the police officer or staff member’s name or badge number, provide the date, time and circumstances leading to your compliment. We will try to identify the officer or staff member involved to properly recognize them for their service.

The information you provide is forwarded to the member’s Division/Unit Commander and the involved member.

Complaints

Complaints against a Winnipeg Police Service member or policy can be filed with different organizations, depending on the type of behaviour that prompted the complaint.   

Organization Criminal Behaviour Non-Criminal Behaviour Administrative/ Policy Matters
Winnipeg Police Service X X X
Law Enforcement Review Agency X X
Manitoba Ombudsman X

When non-criminal behaviour is involved, you can choose whether to file your complaint with the Winnipeg Police Service or with the Law Enforcement Review Agency.  The Winnipeg Police Service investigates criminal matters.

Complaints to the Winnipeg Police Service

To file a complaint with the Winnipeg Police Service, you may:

Every complaint is examined thoroughly to determine whether further investigation is warranted. If an investigation reveals that a member has breached any rules governing conduct, a disciplinary process will follow. Penalties range from an admonition up to and including dismissal from the Service.

Complaints to the Law Enforcement Review Agency

You can file a complaint with the Law Enforcement Review Agency at 420-155 Carlton St. (telephone: 204-945-8667). For more information, visit:  www.gov.mb.ca/justice/lera.

LERA is staffed by a Commissioner, Registrar, professional investigators and an administrative assistant. Any other complaints, including allegations of criminal behaviour, are investigated by the Winnipeg Police Service.

A member who is the subject of a LERA complaint cannot be subject to any internal police discipline for conduct that constitutes the subject matter of the LERA complaint.

Complaints to the Manitoba Ombudsman’s Office

The Ombudsman's Office investigates complaints from anyone who feels they have been treated unfairly by the provincial government or a municipal government, including the City of Winnipeg. The complaint must relate to a matter of administration. For more information, visit:  www.ombudsman.mb.ca

The Ombudsman also has powers of investigation concerning review compliance with the access to and protection of personal or personal health information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA).

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Information collected will be used to improve our website. Do not use this form to submit a request for service or information because it will not be forwarded to departments for response. To submit a request for service or information, contact 311.

This form is not intended to collect personal information; however, any personal information you choose to include in your comments is collected by the City of Winnipeg under the authority of section 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purpose of improving our website and will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes, except as authorized by law. Contact the Corporate Access and Privacy Officer by mail (City Clerk’s Department, Susan A. Thompson Building, 510 Main Street, Winnipeg MB, R3B 1B9) or by telephone (311) if you have any questions about the collection of this information.

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Les renseignements recueillis serviront à l’amélioration de notre site Web. Prière de ne pas se servir de ce formulaire pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, car la demande ne sera pas transmise au service en question. Pour soumettre une demande de service ou de renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec le 311.

Le présent formulaire ne vise pas à recueillir des renseignements personnels. Cependant, les renseignements personnels que vous choisissez d’inclure dans vos commentaires sont recueillis par la Ville de Winnipeg en conformité avec l’alinéa 36(1)b) de la Loi sur l’accès à l’information et la protection de la vie privée dans le but d’améliorer son site Web et ne seront ni utilisés ni divulgués pour d’autres raisons, sauf dans les cas où cela est autorisé par la loi. Communiquez avec l’agent de l’accès à l’information et de la protection de la vie privée de la Ville par courrier au Bureau du greffier, immeuble Susan-A.-Thompson, 510, rue Main, Winnipeg (Manitoba) R3B 1B9, ou par téléphone au 311 si vous avez des questions sur la collecte de ces renseignements.