Law Union of Ontario critical of Chief Demkiw’s measures to stamp out police corruption
Project South uncovered damning allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder and drug trafficking tied to the suspected misuse of police databases, with officers allegedly accessing classified information which was then funnelled to criminals who carried out shootings and other violent offences. It not only resulted in the arrests of seven Toronto police officers and […]
The Law Union of Ontario has expressed concerns over Chief Myron Demkiw's initiatives to combat police corruption in the Toronto Police Service (TPS). According to Project South, a group that uncovered allegations of bribery, conspiracy to commit murder, and drug trafficking, police officers were found to have accessed classified information and funneled it to criminals, leading to the arrests of seven current TPS officers and one retired officer.
In response to Project South's findings, the TPS has established two new teams dedicated to Anti-Corruption, Enforcement, Accountability, and Compliance. One team is responsible for conducting unannounced inspections of police divisions and units. Chief Demkiw stated during a recent meeting that these measures aim to identify and investigate possible corruption within the TPS.
Furthermore, Chief Demkiw mentioned ongoing province-wide inspections into all police forces in Ontario, noting that documents and disclosures have already been shared with the inspector general of policing. The inspector general will review these materials and issue legal findings, recommendations, or directions.
Jack Gemmel, a lawyer and police critic with the Law Union of Ontario, believes that the Project South allegations warrant a more extensive, independent investigation. His organization is calling for an outside police service to investigate whether corruption extends beyond the seven active officers and the recently retired constable already implicated in the case.
Gemmel questions why these concerns were not discovered by the TPS and their Professional Standards Bureau, and why it took an unrelated investigation by the York Regional Police to uncover the issue.
Gemmel also criticized Chief Demkiw for appearing more concerned with protecting the force's reputation rather than addressing the root of the problem. He believes the province-wide police inspection is too broad to uncover deeper issues within the TPS. According to the TPS, more than 20 internal inspections have been conducted, but the report does not provide details on any problems uncovered or consequences faced by officers or supervisors.
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