Has Ottawa Police lost control of the officers under their command? | Opinion

Ottawa Police Service headquarters. Photo by ASHLEY FRASER /POSTMEDIA

Article content

Once again, a new report shows that Ottawa police are more likely to use force against Blacks and people of Middle Eastern origin, begging the question whether this behaviour is too ingrained in the police to ever change.

Article content

And what does this mean for equal treatment under the law in the nation’s capital?

Article content

Article content

The report on the use of force by police in 2025 shows that for five years in a row Ottawa Police disproportionately used force against Blacks and residents of Middle-Eastern origin. Blacks and Middle Eastern residents are three times more to be victims of force than their share of the population. Last year, a quarter (24.5 per cent) of the people subjected to use of force were Black, even though they make up only eight per cent of the city’s population. Similarly, 11 per cent of the “subjects of force” were Middle-Easterners, even though they make up six per cent of the population. Other groups don’t suffer similar fates.

Article content

Article content

The data doesn’t explain why this is happening, and there is no evidence that special attention is paid to these groups because they commit more crimes than the rest of the population.

Article content

“Overrepresentation (of Black people in criminal justice system) occurs at all stages of the system — policing, courts and correction — in significant numbers relative to the rest of Canada,” a 2024 Department of Justice report says. And then it adds: “It is essential to recognize that Black people are not more predisposed to criminal activity than any group of people, racialized or non-racialized.”

Article content

Yet, the numbers have remained pretty much the same since 2020, when police forces in Ontario were ordered to collect data on the race of people who are subjected to the use of force.

Article content

The abuse can’t be excused as the work of a few bad apples because it appears to be a pattern involving multiple officers and multiple victims across several years. And with the sexual abuse and harassment allegations that have rocked OPS for years now, it is fair to question not just the capacity of police brass to control the men and women under their command, but the ability of the police services board to provide effective oversight and leadership. The board discussed the latest use-of-force report at its recent meeting, but offered no solutions.

Article content

Article content

Coun. Marty Carr, vice-chair of the board, said in an interview that it is the police service that must answer for the disproportionate use of force, not the board. “With respect, it is not the board that is using the force. That is OPS. That’s for the OPS to answer,” Carr says. She explained that the board sets “objectives,” but “in terms of the incidents, the board has no role in that. It is an operational issue, officer behaviour issue. It is not the board that is responsible for operational matters.”

Article content

Article content

Later, she sent an email statement to explain the role of the board in policing, and condemn the use of force incidents. “The disproportionate use of force against racialized residents is unacceptable,” the statement says. It acknowledges the “year over year increase in incidents in 2025,” but says the board’s initiatives to combat the problem “have not yet had sufficient time to produce full results.”

Article content

It all really boils down to a lack of seriousness by the board to tackle a serious, long-standing institutional problem.

Article content

Remember former chief Peter Sloly? He was excoriated by the police union for acknowledging in a Citizen op-ed that “systemic racism” exists in policing, even though several reports show this is no longer in dispute.