Members of the RCMP have quit their posts because orders to arrest individuals of concern to national security agencies were given with no explanation of the reasons for arrest..The use and dissemination of intel between Canada’s intelligence agencies and its national police service needs urgent review, so says an internal report..The report examines the sometimes fruitless relationship between Canada’s intelligence community and the RCMP. It is hoped the evolution will begin with the informing of police officers of the reasons behind national security arrests..At one point, officers in one of the RCMP’s national security units quit their jobs after being ordered to make an arrest without being told the reasons for the arrest, the report said. The report was released as a result of an access-to-information request by CBC News..The report is the conclusion of an internal review about the ways the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the national police force collaborate — or fail to do so — on intelligence information on issues of national security..Four years ago, both agencies requested two external national security lawyers — Anil Kapoor and Dana Achtemichuk — be contracted to assess the problems being encountered by the teams, conduct the necessary interviews, and thereafter make their recommendations. A copy of their final review was released recently to CBC News..The incident that led the officers to quit occurred during a case of “catch-and-release.” This is a procedure whereby police will arrest a suspect in order to thwart a national security incident or attack. The suspect is then later released without charge..The report says that catch-and-release operations require the exchange of intelligence between agencies. The information was not shared with the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) involved in the incident cited in the report..INSETs are multi-agency teams comprising the RCMP, regional, and city police services and government agencies across Canada to investigate cases concerning national security, extremism, and terrorism..“We learned of a case where the INSET was tasked with carrying out an arrest but not given the reason why. This caused great conflict in the investigative team, causing some officers to quit,” said the report..“On balance, it was morale-depressing for the INSET.”.Case specifics are redacted in the report..“Being a player in the national security world involves both respecting the ‘need-to-know’ principle and understanding that more RCMP officers do, in fact, ‘need to know,'” wrote the authors of the report..Kent Roach, a University of Toronto professor and subject matter expert in national security and anti-terrorism law, described the incident as troubling..“The report recognizes that the RCMP officers are often kept in the dark by CSIS and this could affect the validity of the arrest,” he said..The report said some of the problem is CSIS is under pressure to keep operational information, secret such as strategy, methods, and asset location, while police and the judiciary are expected to both establish prosecutions and protect a defendant’s right to a fair trial..“It strikes us that there is no benefit to public safety to leave [CSIS’s] information unexploited when it could be used to enhance a national security criminal investigation,” said the report..“Also, [CSIS] has to accept that in litigation, there is always a risk that some information will not be protected, but the benefit of assisting in the investigation and the eventual prosecution of persons who are threats to the country is worth that risk.”.Keira Lawson, a spokesperson for CSIS, said implementing the recommendations is a work in progress and admitted more can be done..“There remains a pressing need for ongoing consideration by all parties, including Public Safety Canada, to continue to identify any potential areas for legislative reforms that would address … the intelligence and evidence issues that the Government faces in various judicial proceedings, while maintaining full respect for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Lawson wrote in a media statement..Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.abrown@westernstandard.news.,.Twitter: @WS_JournoAmanda
