Williams Lake incident prompts police watchdog to call for changes in care model for severely intoxicated people

Oct 30, 2023 | 11:35 AM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — B.C.’s police watchdog says the care of intoxicated people in custody should not be the responsibility of police after a man went through serious withdrawal at the Williams Lake RCMP detachment.

In a news release issued Monday (Oct. 30), the Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. says the care of intoxicated people is a healthcare issue and the provincial government needs to ensure they can receive care from trained healthcare professionals.

“Officers and jail guards are not trained medical personnel, and jail cells are not the best place for such prisoners,” Ronald MacDonald, IIO chief civilian director says. “Holding intoxicated persons in police cells… is an outdated practice, and proven not to provide adequate guarantees of their health and safety. There are other options, including sobering centres and having health professionals on site to assist with the care of intoxicated persons.”

The claim comes after a man was arrested for theft under $5,000 and breach of a probation order in Williams Lake on Nov. 13, 2022. IIO says the arrested officers felt he was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.

After the man spent a night in a detox cell then went to sleep in a regular cell the next night, police say he began intermittingly vomiting and was eventually “struggling to breathe.” Police say he was sent to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops and continued to suffer seizures before being discharged on Nov. 18.