Chief supports suspending pay

Larkin says current scenario offers no incentive to advance process, and can be costly to taxpayers

WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin says he supports the province’s push to revamp the Police Services Act by giving chiefs the authority to suspend officers accused of serious misconduct without pay.

“Our community has spoken loud and clear on this,” Larkin said in an interview after a police board meeting Wednesday.

More than 100 police boards responded to a survey by the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards.

The goal of the survey was to identify priorities as the provincial government revisits the Police Services Act for the first time in more than 25 years.

Other areas the province is looking at modernizing are strengthening police board governance, outsourcing some police work to civilians, mandating co-operation with other agencies and improving thirdparty oversight of police.

Participants also felt strongly that police boards should be able to lay off staff, in-

cluding police.

Larkin said the cases where there is significant misconduct leads to a “number of citizen dollars being expended and that becomes problematic.

“There is no incentive to advance the process,” he said.

But officers who do their job deserve protection, he said.

Larkin said the role of police officers has changed and civilians doing work that police have always done should be considered.

He cited traffic control in Western Canada traditionally patrolled by officers is now done by civilians.

The current Police Services Act was passed into law in 1990.

Ontario has committed to reopening the legislation.

A new version is set to be introduced this spring.

Other proposed legislative changes include making postsecondary education mandatory for police officers — an idea that received more than 60 per cent in support.

Processes and penalties for police officer misconduct should also be simplified and brought more in line with general labour practices in the province, according to roughly 90 per cent of respondents.

More than 80 per cent felt progression through the various classes of the constable rank should be slower and based on more than time served.