OIPRD Annual Report 2016-17

Press Release

This annual report covers the fiscal year April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, and provides an overview of the work the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) completed over the past year.

2016–17 brought with it the promise of changes to police oversight and policing. The Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) announced a review of Ontario’s police oversight agencies led by the Honourable Michael Tulloch, while the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) continued its work to modernize policing with its Strategy for a Safer Ontario. I welcome every change that will provide Ontarians with a more robust civilian police oversight system. When I was appointed Independent Police Review Director (Director) I was given new legislation for a public complaints system that was untested. Over the past eight years that legislation has been well-tested and I have found gaps that have caused confusion, delays and frustration for all participants. My office provided MAG and, subsequently Justice Tulloch with recommendations and feedback for amendments to the legislation that would improve the complaints system.

In April 2017, Justice Tulloch released his report and recommendations for the future of the OIPRD, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU)
and the Ontario Civilian Police Commission (OCPC). I support recommendations that would make the complaints system stronger. I believe that new legislation, built on Justice Tulloch’s recommendations and properly resourced, would usher in a more effective police complaints system that both the public and the police could have faith in. Meanwhile, I continue to work to improve transparency and accountability in policing through an increased focus on systemic reviews. In the past year we completed one systemic review, “Casting the Net: A Review of Ontario Provincial Police Practices for DNA Canvasses,” and released our interim report on “Police Interactions with People in Crisis and Use of Force.” The work on this review continues. We began two new systemic reviews: one into police practices for strip searches and one into the Thunder Bay Police Service’s practices for policing Indigenous People. Over the past months I have spent time in Northern Ontario meeting with groups and individuals, and listening to the experiences of members of Indigenous communities and others in their interactions with Thunder Bay police.

The public expects more from their police services and is vocal about what they want. The role of the police officer has become more complex as the public expects officers to be flexible in their approach, more even-handed in dealing with the public and more attuned to the population they serve. This is not a bad thing. These discussions contributed to the introduction of a new regulation addressing street checks, which will have an impact on the way police officers do their job and interact with members of the public. I will continue to monitor complaints to ensure police services comply fully with the new regulation.

I continue to promote Alternative Dispute Resolution in the complaints process. Our Customer Service Resolution and mediation programs have been successful in opening up lines of communication between officers and complainants. In January, my office rolled out a pilot Enhanced Mediation Program to 12 police
services, with the goal of encouraging mediation in less serious complaints after they have been screened in, but before investigation.

Screening and investigating conduct complaints still remains the bulk of our work — as it should be. The number of complaints to the OIPRD has increased over previous years. While my office awaits the Government’s response to Justice Tulloch’s recommendations
and potential legislative changes, the OIPRD will continue to work to improve our processes and to manage police complaints in a transparent and accountable manner.

I would like to thank my staff for their hard work and dedication. Their efforts are integral to the success of the public complaints system and I am grateful for their passion and professionalism.

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