VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A Canadian official says police mishandled the hunt for a serial killer in the Greater Vancouver area and advised creating one police force for the region.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Inquiry Commissioner Wally Oppal released his final report on the investigation Monday in Vancouver.
In the document, Oppal said years of inadequate investigations allowed Robert Pickton go undetected while preying on women in the sex trade.
The CBC reported Oppal cited problems of discrimination, a lack of leadership, outdated policing approaches and a fragmented police structure in the Greater Vancouver region.
Oppal also blamed societal norms that label women and the poor as unequal.
To counteract such issues, Oppal issued 63 recommendations, including creating one unified police force for Vancouver, funding centers that provide services to women and implementing ongoing training for officers.
The CBC reported Pickton was eventually arrested in 2002 and was sentenced to life in prison in 2007.
The CBC said the remains or DNA of 33 women were found on his pig farm.
