An RCMP watchdog has filed a complaint about an incident last week in which police used a Taser to subdue an 11-year-old boy at a group home in Prince George, B.C.

Ian McPhail, the interim chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, known as the CPC, announced the action Thursday.

"This complaint has been launched with full appreciation that the West Vancouver Police Department is currently conducting a criminal investigation into the incident," the commission said in a news release.

The commission will look at the conduct of officers in the case and whether their actions complied with the policies, procedures, training and statutory requirements related to the use of force, the release said.

According to the release, the commission has been monitoring the case since the incident occurred on April 7 and felt it necessary to initiate its own complaint.

Little is known about the incident except the details contained in a brief statement issued by Prince George RCMP Supt. Brenda Butterworth-Carr on Friday.

The statement said the boy was a suspect in the stabbing of a 37-year-old man, and a Taser was used in his arrest. Officers found the boy inside a group home next door to the crime scene, and when he came out, he was shocked with a stun gun.

Independent agency

The unidentified boy was taken to hospital for assessment and then taken into custody, police said Friday. The stabbing victim is recovering from his wounds.

The CPC is an independent agency created by Parliament to ensure that public complaints made about the conduct of RCMP members are examined fairly and impartially, its website states. It makes findings and recommendations aimed at correcting and preventing recurring policing problems, with the goal of promoting excellence in policing through accountability.

Following recommendations from the complaints commission, the RCMP announced a new policy governing the use of directed-energy weapons in April 2010.