One junior and two senior members of the Winnipeg Police Service have been put on administrative leave after they were charged with several offences following an internal investigation.
Const. Elston Bostock, Const. Jonathan Kiazyk and Const. Matthew Kadyiuk have all been charged with breach of trust and other offences stemming from allegations made earlier this year, public information officer Const. Dani McKinnon said during a news conference at police headquarters on Thursday afternoon.
Deputy Chief Gene Bowers called the actions of the three officers as “deeply concerning.”
“As a police service, we take incidents of misconduct and breaches of the law by our members very seriously,” he said, adding that the city’s police force does not and will not tolerate this type of behaviour.
Police notified the province’s police watchdog, the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba, on May 7, which took over the investigation. The Winnipeg police professional standards unit provided assistance.
The officers were charged on Wednesday.
Professional Standards Unit Investigation <a href=”https://t.co/KrBCGBQ9pY”>https://t.co/KrBCGBQ9pY</a>
—@wpgpolice
Bostock, a 21-year member of the force, is charged with theft under $5,000, unlawfully being in a dwelling, obstruction of a police officer, two counts of obstruction of justice and four counts of breach of trust in connection with allegations that date from Oct. 22, 2022, to Saturday.
Bostock, 47, is also alleged to have disclosed confidential information, according to police. The charges are related to both on- and off-duty offences.
He acted alone in some instances and in others with Kiazyk, 46 or 32-year-old Kadyniuk, police said.
Kadyniuk, a two-year officer with Winnipeg police, is charged with theft under $5,000 and breach of trust for his alleged actions while he was on duty, “protecting a scene” with Bostock on Oct. 17.
Kiazyk, an 18-year member of the force, allegedly joined Bostock in entering a residence on Stradbrook Avenue, between Scott and Donald streets, in the midst of a police investigation in October 2022. In addition to breach of trust, Kiazyk is charged with obstructing a police officer and unlawfully being in a dwelling.
All three officers were released from custody. They will continue to be paid pending a review of their status, Bowers said.
Police did not provide details regarding who made the allegations against the officers, with Bowers repeatedly saying the matters are “still under investigation” because they are now before the court system.
He was not able to recall the last time three Winnipeg police officers were charged at the same time, but understands instances like this can fracture the public’s trust in the force and have a direct impact on other officers.
“We are all concerned by these allegations and are fully committed to ensuring we maintain the trust of the community we serve,” Bowers said.
As an organization that strives for excellence, his message to the public is that police accountability and transparency will be adhered to.
“We believe in transparency and accountability, and when these things occur we’ll hold things accountable in the police service,” Bowers said. “No one is above the law.”