The creation of an inspector general to monitor police services, penalties for officers who fail to co-operate in police watchdog investigations, and the ability to suspend officers without pay were part of an announcement Thursday to revamp policing and the police oversight system in Ontario.âThe changes we are proposing today represent the largest transformation to Ontario`s policing and community safety in over 25 years,â said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Marie-France Lalonde, along with Attorney General Yasir Naqvi.The ability for chiefs to suspend officers without pay has been called upon for years, including by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Ontario is currently the sole province in Canada that requires suspension with pay except when an officer is sentenced to jail time.Read more:Review of police oversight recommends much greater transparency, the Star learnsOntario commits to releasing past and future SIU reportsCircumstances in which an officer can now be suspended without pay in Ontario include when the officer is in custody or the subject of bail or other court conditions that prevent them from performing their usual police duties, as well as if charged with a serious offence that was not committed in the course of their duties.Changes to police oversight announced by the government Thursday include establishing penalties for officers who don`t comply with oversight investigations, as well as setting timelines for investigations and reporting the results to the public.The Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the arm`s-length agency that probes police-involved death, serious injury and allegations of sexual assault, has often faced criticism for taking too long with its investigations. Naqvi also said Thursday the SIU, which falls under the jurisdiction of the attorney general, would be rebranded as the Ontario Special Investigations Unit.The new office of the inspector general would have the power to over ...
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