Victoria police have released a report making an astounding 80 recommendations about the use of force in its jail, including rebranding the jail as an "Arrested Persons Processing Unit."

The 81-page report was written by retired Ottawa police chief Vince Bevan after a four-month review, commissioned in the wake of a string of assault allegations against officers in the department.

Bevan's report largely calls for better training and supervision of jail guards and a change in attitude from a "lock-up" philosophy to a "culture of care of persons in custody."

But the retired chief also suggested that in light of recent high-profile incidents in the department's cell block, the jail should undergo a bit of a public relations makeover.

"Other police agencies in Canada have adopted strategies to not only change the culture of operations with their detention facilities, but have changed the name of the facility to remove the images conjured up by the name itself," the report reads.

Bevan's suggestion is that the department should: "Rename the ‘Jail' to ‘Arrested Persons Processing Unit' or a similar name."

The report also suggests improving air quality within the jail, installing cushioned rubberized flooring, ensuring both male and female guards are always on duty and creating better training and policies for dealing with drunk, injured or sick inmates.

Despite the huge volume of recommendations, Bevan said in the report that the community should not be alarmed about the current state of the police department.

"The community should be assured that Vic PD is staffed by professionals who care about their work, their community and their organization. They were, to a person, proud of Vic PD and rightfully so," he wrote.

At a press conference Friday morning, Chief Jamie Graham said the department welcomed Bevan's recommendations, and has already acted on many of them.

"These recommendations echo our commitment to the community and highlight our willingness as an organization to improve service and foster a culture where ‘custody' used to be the overriding purpose to one where ‘duty of care' is now the dominant philosophy," Graham said.

He added, however, that the department is reviewing some of the recommendations.

A troubled past

Bevan's probe was prompted by several high-profile incidents this winter, including a January incident in the cell block area that led to allegations of assault against Sergeant George Chong, brother of Oak Bay–Gordon Head MLA, Ida Chong.

In April, the Calgary Police Service agreed to conduct an internal investigation of the Victoria Police Department after a video posted on YouTube showed two officers apparently kicking a man who is being restrained outside of a nightclub.

The Vancouver Police Department is also handling the criminal investigation -- monitored by the B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner's office.

The department has faced several controversies in recent years involving officer conduct in the cell block.

Willow Kinloch was 15 when she was arrested for public drunkenness, sued and reached an out-of-court settlement with police after she spent four hours tethered to the cell door.

A man was left with permanent brain injuries when an officer slammed him onto a concrete floor in 2004.