Police dog bites in Victoria, Nanaimo under investigation

Two incidents involving police dogs on Vancouver Island are under investigation after one person in Victoria and two people in Nanaimo were injured over the weekend.

In the Victoria incident, an innocent youth was injured by a dog from the police K-9 unit, while they were searching for a driver who fled the scene of a car crash on Friday night. The youth was in no way involved with the crash.

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner is investigating that incident.

Hours later, RCMP in Nanaimo used a police dog to pursue a man and woman for allegedly fleeing from a stolen vehicle. Both suspects sustained injuries from dog bites that required medical treatment.

The Independent Investigations Office is investigating.

Incidents involving police dogs have captured the attention of the Pivot Legal Society, which alleges someone is bitten by a police dog every two days in B.C.

Injuries caused by police dogs account for half of all injuries involving municipal police forces in B.C., the group says.

B.C.'s director of police services has created a working group that will draft policy regulating police dog use.