RCMP Fact Sheets

Serious crimes and violent crime linkage analysis system (ViCLAS)

QUICK FACTS • GI Sections are often called upon to assist local detachments and other Canadian police forces with major criminal investigations. • The ViCLAS system was developed by the RCMP to assist in identifying serial crimes and criminals. • Canadian and international police services can contact the RCMP to request the services of a ViCLAS specialist.

Overview

General Investigation Sections (GI)
GI Sections are responsible for managing and investigating Criminal Code federal and provincial statutes, which involve major criminal offences under these legislations. A GIS investigator must have an extensive background and experience in operational policing. Major criminal investigations include: homicide, violent crimes against persons, sexual assaults, break and enters, auto thefts, robberies, extortion, abduction, etc.

Serious Crime Section
The Serious Crime Section is unique to E Division (British Columbia) and is responsible for conducting complex investigations relating to serious crimes (e.g. homicides, armed robberies, violent sex offences, major thefts, and hostage/kidnap situations).

Major Crime Units
Major Crime Units are located across the country to supervise, investigate and assist with a variety of cases.

These cases include suspicious deaths, regular member involved deaths (police shootings, cell deaths), missing persons (where foul play is suspected), or any other serious or sensitive incident where it is determined that Major Crime Units should assist and/or investigate (e.g. serial sexual assault investigations).

The critical aspects of major case investigations are supervision, organization and resource utilization, and effective case management. An effective case management system establishes guidelines that will ensure the basic objectives of major case investigations (documentation and preservation of evidence/ information) are met and that there is managerial accountability, proper delegation of responsibilities, efficient and effective use of resources, auditable and consistent standards, and up-to-date procedures in the seizure and preservation of evidence.

Major Crime Units and GI Sections across Canada, as well as the Serious Crime Section in E Division, have very similar mandates as support services. They are an essential component of the RCMP’s investigative expertise and provide specialized support to detachments across Canada.

ViCLAS: Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System
ViCLAS is a computer system that assists specially trained investigators to identify serial crimes and criminals by focusing on the linkages that exist among crimes committed by the same offender. The system is used Canada-wide as well as in two states in the USA and 11 other countries.

Police services across Canada contribute to ViCLAS by submitting information about the violent crime investigations undertaken in their jurisdiction. In Ontario and Quebec, legislation has made it mandatory for police services to submit information to ViCLAS.

Although all Canadian police services contribute information to ViCLAS, only the ViCLAS specialists analyse and interpret the information in the system to find patterns and linkages in the reports of violent crime.

The ViCLAS specialists are experienced police investigators who work collaboratively to ensure that their conclusions are reasonable. Many of the ViCLAS specialists are RCMP regular members while others work for the Ontario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec and a number of other municipal police services.

The National ViCLAS Policy Centre, a part of the Behavioural Sciences Branch in the RCMP, establishes and monitors policy, procedures and minimum standards regarding the submission and analysis of crimes of interpersonal violence onto the ViCLAS database. In addition, the centre provides strategic direction in research and development for the RCMP and other domestic and international law enforcement agencies using case linkage systems. This work is done in order to continue to improve law enforcement’s ability to link crimes of interpersonal violence and to identify those responsible for these crimes.