Chiefs consider College of Policing
Kitchener hosting chiefs from across province this week
KITCHENER — Police chiefs from across the province are gathering in Kitchener for their annual general meeting, and one of the topics on the agenda is looking at establishing a College of Policing in Ontario.
A speaker from the United Kingdom, where a similar College of Policing already exists, will address police leaders at the conference.
Ottawa Police Chief Charles Bordeleau, who is the current association president, said a College of Policing in Ontario would “look like the college of nurses or physicians.”
“What can we do to professionalize policing?” he said.
The college would set regulations and adequacy standards and establish licensing, said Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin.
The idea of a college of policing was suggested by Justice Michael Tulloch, who examined police oversight and accountability, including street check regulations. Tulloch will also speak at the conference.
About 200 police chiefs and other police leaders arrived in Kitchener this weekend for the 2017 annual general meeting of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
The theme of this year’s meeting, which began Sunday and ends Wednesday, is “Bridging leadership through innovation.”
Bordeleau said three areas of focus at this year’s meeting are cybercrime, police oversight and street check regulations, and the future of policing.
“The police landscape is changing, trust and confidence in policing is an issue and a challenge we are all facing,” he said. “The job of officers on the ground is challenging.”
On Monday, delegates heard from guest speaker Jim Balsillie, the former BlackBerry co-chief executive officer, who spoke about cybercrime.
Cybercrime is a top priority for police chiefs, Bordeleau said.
“It’s a huge area where we are vulnerable,” he said, referring to officers needing the “tools” to solve this type of crime.
“The traditional playground for policing was outside. It was our streets. We patrolled parks, patrolled community areas. Now, we have the dark web that we need to patrol,” Larkin said.
That is a very different area to patrol and it involves a cultural change, Larkin said.
Other issues up for discussion include the legalization of marijuana and body cameras.
Bordeleau said the expected legislation legalizing marijuana will have a “significant” impact on policing.
“What kind of tools, training and equipment do we need to support our front-line officers in ensuring our streets do remain safe,” he asked.
On women in policing, the chiefs say they are committed to increasing the number of women in all police ranks.
Bordeleau said in Ottawa the service is conducting a “gender” audit to identify the barriers that prevent women from advancing in policing.
Bordeleau said a typical male can reach different ranks in 20 years, but for a woman it’s double that time because of child and parent care.
“The focus is removing the barriers that exist ... to ensure women have equal access to opportunities within the police service,” he said. “That will clear the path for more women to join the ranks of policing.”
Larkin added, “We are all committed to increasing the equality as well as the equity in our organizations.”
On Wednesday, elections will be held for the association’s next president. Larkin is a nominee for the position and is expected to be elected.