This Web page has been archived on the Web.
2000 April Report of the Auditor General of Canada
Exhibit 7.6—A Typical CPIC User Scenario
A Vancouver police officer noted a car with Ontario licence plates, parked suspiciously behind a warehouse complex at 2:30 a.m. He immediately contacted his local CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) terminal operator by radio. The officer described the car and licence plate and requested a CPIC vehicle file query. In less than 60 seconds, he was informed that the car had been stolen eight days earlier in Halifax. The licence plates had been stolen recently in Toronto. He summoned assistance and maintained observation until other police officers arrived. Soon afterward, two men were apprehended as they entered the vehicle. Descriptions of both men were relayed to CPIC for a query of the wanted persons records. Quick system responses revealed that one individual was wanted for robbery and fraud. The other, a dangerous criminal, was wanted by forces throughout Canada for a series of violent crimes.
Messages to confirm all incriminating information with the originating agencies were then sent through CPIC communications. Meanwhile, a search of the stolen vehicle produced useful supporting evidence: restricted firearms and assorted "customized" burglary tools.
Although police officers always proceed with caution, information related to a high-risk situation or person can give them advance warning of impending problems. It can also help to locate and arrest criminals at large, before they can cause further harm. Poor information in the CPIC system or inability to access it has obvious implications for police officers and the public.
Source: The CPIC System and Network (RCMP Publication)