The Manitoba government has introduced legislation that would forbid the province's independent police watchdog from hiring active officers as investigators.

The bill would also introduce fines and jail time for most police officers who do not comply with "reasonable" requests from the Independent Investigation Unit.

But it stops short of requiring officers who are the subject of an investigation to agree to be interviewed.

Justice Minister Cameron Friesen says the bill is based on an independent review of provincial police law a year ago and will bolster investigations into alleged police misconduct.