Acknowledgments and Methodology

Acknowledgments

 

The IoP thanks all boards, chiefs of police and the members of their police services in Ontario, including the OPP and the Commissioner, for their assistance and cooperation during this inspection process.

 

Methodology for this Inspection

 

The IoP’s Policing Inspections Unit inspected all 43 municipal police services and the OPP for compliance with previously in-force Ontario Regulation 3/99 – Adequacy and Effectiveness of Police Services, which at the time of the inspection, prescribed specific requirements that boards and chiefs, and the OPP Commissioner must fulfill. 

 

The Regulation required police services to have their own POU, or instead of having its own POU, have this function fulfilled by the POU of another police service or on a combined regional, or co-operative basis among more than one police service.

 

The Regulation also set out the legal requirements for:

 

  • board policy concerning POU (sections 18[1] and 29),
  • Chief’s procedures concerning POU (sections 18[3] and 19), and

  • composition and training related to POU (sections 19 and 33[iii]). 

     

To support boards and Chiefs with their understanding and implementation of these requirements under the PSA, the Ministry of the Solicitor General maintained the Policing Standards Manual (PSM) which contained sample board policies and guidance for chiefs in developing and maintaining their procedures. The samples and guidelines contained in the PSM highlight key components of governance policies and procedural steps that may be considered when undertaking a policing function, like public order maintenance. It is important to remember that the PSM was only a tool to assist, and that its guidance must be applied and adapted to reflect the needs of the community receiving policing services and its local context. 

 

As part of the inspection, the IoP considered the extent to which ministry guidance on public order maintenance (PO-001) provided through the PSM was incorporated into the board policy, Chief’s procedures, public order manual, training, and equipment. Ministry guideline content that did not address statutory or regulatory requirements was considered advisory in nature. 

 

Commencing in May 2023, the inspection launched with two initial inspections of municipal police services that have their own POUs, and further expanded to the remaining 41 municipal police services and the OPP. The IoP also hosted three virtual pre-brief meetings which were open to police services and boards that did not have their own POUs to answer any questions with respect to the POU inspection.

 

Each inspection included an off-site review of relevant documents, such as board policies, chief’s procedures, and where applicable, the police service’s POU manual, training records, deployment records, and municipal agreements for sharing police services (which could be entered into between boards and/or the Commissioner under section 7 of the PSA, and now under section 14 of the CSPA). The Inspection also included an on-site component for the 11 police services that maintain their own POU. This included 10 municipal police services and the OPP, represented by all five of its operational regions.

 

On-site assessments included interviews of board members and police service members, tours of police facilities, and checks of POU-issued equipment. The on-site inspections were generally one week in length, adjusting to accommodate operational needs of the police service when required. Each on-site inspection also consisted of a pre-brief with the Chief and/or their designated command staff, the board Chair or their designate, as well as a de-brief with the same individuals at the conclusion of the on-site inspection.

 

During the initial stages of the inspection, the IoP learned of the Ontario Public Order Hub model through the Ontario Public Order Advisory Committee (OPOAC), a subcommittee of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP). The Hub model is an initiative-taking approach to collaboratively coordinate planned public order deployments in Ontario and can also assist in coordinating deployments for unplanned POU events. The Hub model is an excellent example of the policing sector taking a leadership role in sharing resources, information and supporting the delivery of adequate and effective public order policing across the province. As the Hub model was outside the scope of this inspection, limited analysis was undertaken. However, the IoP can say that the Hub model does show promise with respect to coordination of POU response in Ontario and should continue to play this across-province coordinating role to support effective and responsive public order deployments.