Inquiry recommends big changes for Quebec provincial police

A wide-ranging inquiry into Quebec's provincial police force has made sweeping recommendations for change.

The Poitras Commission spent more than two years and $20 million looking into wrongdoing within La Surete du Quebec.

The inquiry was sparked by a bungled police investigation involving 26.5 tonnes of hashish. The case was thrown out when a judge ruled that police officers had tampered with evidence.

The report is a detailed look at the inner workings of La Surete du Quebec. And it isn't a pretty picture.

It describes the enormous difficulty encountered by three officers charged with investigating the bungled drug case. The report says they were confronted by an unwritten law of silence and police solidarity.

It says there is a feeling of immunity and impunity among officers with regard to all kinds of deviant behavior. And says officers abuse their powers during investigations.

The report makes 175 recommendations for reforming the SQ.

The Minister of Public Security, Serge Menard, says there are clearly serious problems within the force. "What it shows is that to conduct serious criminal investigations, especially against organized crime, police officers believe they must go around the law. That is inadmissible," Menard said.

Critics say the government should seize this opportunity to make major reforms. Menard says he will need more time to study the report before deciding what to do.