Canada's police chiefs call for more funding as frequency of protests increases
The Ontario Provincial Police commissioner attributes the rise in complex and risky public protests across the country to immigration from regions where violence is seen as an 'acceptable vehicle for social change,' as national conflicts and global tensions escalate.
The frequency of protests linked to domestic and international issues is causing strain to police forces across the country, Canada’s chiefs of police said on Tuesday.
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police met for their annual summit in Halifax on Tuesday, where Thomas Carrique, who is the Ontario Provincial Police commissioner and also the national association's president, said that the government needed to provide “moral and financial support” to help police forces meet the demand caused by these protests.
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“National issues and global conflicts have led to an increase in the frequency, duration, complexity, risks and threats of these public assemblies in cities across our country,” Carrique told reporters, according to The Canadian Press.
Carrique said that protests have become more and more difficult to manage, and that police needed more officers, equipment, and training to deal with them.
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Carrique said that Toronto’s police chief told association members during the conference that his police force has responded to over 1,000 protests since the Israel-Hamas conflict kicked off after the terrorist group's vicious attack on civilians on October 7. He said that resources required to control these protests have cost the force “tens of millions of dollars that they would have had no opportunity to budget for.”
He also mentioned that a growing number of protests in Canada have escalated into threats or violence, attributing the aggression to "activists, splinter groups, or simply thugs" who aim to disrupt otherwise lawful demonstrations by hijacking them.
He further commented that immigration has introduced individuals from regions where violence is considered an "acceptable vehicle for social change," though he did not specify which countries. However, he emphasized that law enforcement has an "enormous responsibility."
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“In some cases, there is distrust for police and some people may come from areas where police are corrupt," Carrique said.
Additionally, the association is calling for new legislation that would make it illegal to target police by doxing, including the release of personal information on social media or other platforms, with malicious intent. This law, Halifax Police Chief Don MacLean says, would not discourage those from criticizing police for their mistakes.
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