The Ottawa police now have an official policy to address mass demonstrations, arrests and a plan for a temporary mass prisoner “processing centre” if needed.
The policy, passed by the Ottawa Police Services Board on Oct. 28, was drafted in response to Judge John W. Morden’s independent review of police actions at the G20 summit in Toronto in June 2010.
Dubbed the Morden Report, the 2012 review has many recommendations the board has adopted for this city’s policy, such as a procedure to address the rights of large numbers of prisoners.
A review team comprised of members of the police board as well as the Ottawa police met on four separate occasions and discussed the recommendations proposed by the Morden report. These recommendations were passed in March, and on Oct. 28, the following Major Events Policy was passed.
Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau, according to the policy document, will ensure the procedures will be “in accordance with current Canadian legal standards.”
The operating plan for the “mass prisoner processing centre” is to be created in a way that will take special consideration of the Youth Criminal Justice Act as well as a separation of male, female, transgendered and transsexual prisoners, according to the new city policy.
Morden’s review and recommendations followed the mass arrests, detention and incidents of police misconduct towards protestors and bystanders during the 2010 G20 protests in Toronto.
The Ottawa Police Services Board used the release of the Morden Report as an opportunity to review the police procedures in this city that were already in place with respect to major events.
“Given its role as the nation’s capital, Ottawa experiences a great number of political protests and demonstrations such as the Tamil, Congolese, occupy Movement, and Idle No More demonstrations and marches,” stated a staff report presented at the Oct. 24 police board meeting.
The policy also affects major political gatherings held by the federal government, such as the G-series international summits.
When it comes to what implications this policy may have for future events, police board executive director Wendy Fedec says she doesn’t think members of the public will see many differences.
To Fedec, the policy is more administrative in nature. It assures the Ottawa police will get into a dialogue with the police board.
“It tells the chief: you must involve the board in this situation,” Fedec says.
Fedec says most protests held in the city don’t measure up to what would be defined as a significant major event.
“These measures are for extraordinary events,” says Fedec, making reference to international summits.
“It’s not going to impact the hundreds, if not thousands of major events held in the city.”
Rob Dekker, outgoing vice-president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, says these measures might be used in circumstances similar to when Confederation Park was taken over by Occupy protestors in October 2011.
Dekker says he thinks there will be opposition from citizens upon hearing news of the city policy.
“Sometimes there are innocent bystanders and victims who get caught up in this,” says Dekker.
Ottawa police Insp. Mark Ford, who works in the force’s emergency operations directorate, says there have been six events in the last decade where a secondary detention site was required in addition to the holding cells at the main Elgin Street police station.
Though the new city policy makes the creation of a temporary mass processing facility official, the city has witnessed the impromptu opening of such a centre in the past as well.
“We actually do have plans for (temporary detention centres),” says Ford, “but now it’s a policy, not a plan. The difference is in the wording.”
When asked where the planned facility would be located, Ford said he couldn’t divulge details.
But he says the Ottawa police once set up a site on Catherine Street at a maintenance facility not far from the Elgin Street headquarters. He says they wouldn’t use that spot a second time.
“Protests of a peaceful nature can devolve into violence and we need contingencies,” says Ford. “When these events happen elsewhere, we seize the opportunity to examine the issues and ask if we are prepared. It gives us an opportunity to validate what we currently do, or if there is a gap.”
Ford mentioned the 2011 Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver and how that city’s police force was unable to communicate effectively with a large, emotional crowd.