BackOntario Ombudsman Paul Dubé today called on the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to save lives by requiring police across the province to use de-escalation techniques in conflict situations before resorting to lethal force.
It is time for officials to “review the human costs of their legacy of inaction, and to finally make this issue a priority,” the Ombudsman notes in A Matter of Life and Death, his office’s latest systemic investigation report. He recommends the Ministry “use its legal and moral authority to take the lead” on this issue – and that it act “to require all officers to use de-escalation techniques in all situations of conflict before considering force options, wherever tactical and safety considerations permit.”
The investigation, conducted by the Special Ombudsman Response Team, found that training at the Ontario Police College and the legislative regulation, guideline and training model on which it is based “are all below the standards that citizens should expect in a modern, forward-looking jurisdiction,” Mr. Dubé says.
Not only is the basic police training course in Ontario among the shortest in Canada, it is focused more on how to use weapons than on finding alternatives, the Ombudsman found. There is no clear definition of de-escalation, no requirement that officers update and upgrade their skills on the job, no consistency among training delivered by police services across Ontario, and no monitoring of results of such training.
The Ombudsman’s 22 recommendations are based on some 95 interviews with police trainers, Ministry officials, experts in de-escalation and mental health, in Ontario and elsewhere.
Included in the Ombudsman’s recommendations are specific proposals to update the legislation, guidelines and model for training police in the use of force, to bolster de-escalation training at all levels, ensure consistent and updated training across the province and derive lessons from incidents where de-escalation techniques have worked well.
The Ombudsman is an independent officer of the Ontario legislature who resolves and investigates public complaints about provincial government bodies, municipalities, universities and school boards – and recommends solutions to individual and systemic administrative problems. The Ombudsman’s recommendations are not binding, but are generally accepted; almost all recommendations stemming from the 35 SORT investigations conducted since 2005 have been implemented, resulting in such reforms as a more secure lottery system, fairer property tax assessments, upgraded screening of new born babies and improved assistance for Ontario police officers dealing with operational stress injury.
Further information can be found here.
Source: Ombudsman of Ontario - Canada
