OTTAWA – An intern RCMP review An investigation of the force’s response to the “Freedom Convoy” protests found that some officers at the scene of a blockade in Alberta were not aware of threats to harm police until after the episode ended.
He review The report also describes “chaotic” efforts in early 2022 to mobilize officers in Ottawa, a lack of adequate equipment, inadequate training, poor intelligence coordination and exceptionally long hours that led some Mounties to sleep in their offices.
Additionally, the federal government’s “demands for hourly briefings” during the unrest left no time for intelligence units “to prepare an assessment, nor to gather the most up-to-date information,” the federal government said. review says.
The Canadian press used the Access to Information Act to obtain the 92-page national report. reviewpart of a post-convoy effort called Project Natterjack.
He review includes the results of a survey of 1,641 RCMP personnel involved in the response to the 2022 protests that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for weeks and blocked key border points.
In early February 2022, the national capital was besieged by protesters, many of them in large trucks that arrived in the city starting in late January.
Initially billed as a demonstration against COVID-19 health measures, the gathering attracted people with various grievances against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government.
Meanwhile, protests spread and trucks clogged border crossings, including important routes into the United States in Windsor, Ont., and Coutts, Alta.
At Coutts, the RCMP Firearms, ammunition and tactical vests were found in the trailers. Police also discovered an alleged conspiracy to murder RCMP officers.
The after-action report says the survey found some Coutts staff “were not aware of threats to police officers until after the lockdown concluded. Others noted that they only learned about the threats through media reports.”
“This raises a number of officer safety concerns for members who are deployed on the front lines and as an organization this issue must be addressed,” said the review says the report. “It is imperative that all frontline members receive briefing prior to deployment, including information on potential threats to life.”
In Ottawa, the influx of people, including some with roots in the far-right movement, caused many businesses to temporarily close. Residents complained about loud truck horns, diesel fumes and harassing behavior.
Public anger grew over the lack of enforcement action by Ottawa police. Officers from other forces, including the RCMPThey arrived gradually to help clear the streets.
Respondents and others interviewed for the report described the implementation process RCMP officials in the national capital as “chaotic” because there were not enough personnel “trained and knowledgeable in effective mobilization and programming,” the review says.
Interviewees also said it was difficult to get enough RCMP officers to assist Ottawa police because the deployment was optional, not a mandatory requirement.
“Specifically, warning emails were sent to National Headquarters employees asking members if they were interested in deploying to assist the Ottawa Police Service,” the report says.
It notes that the convoy events took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, further limiting officer availability due to illness.
Additionally, it was difficult to assemble “an adequate number of marked police vehicles and equipment” for deployed officers because headquarters mounted police officers generally do not perform front-line policing duties and are therefore not equipped as a regular detachment. .
It meant there was a limited supply of use-of-force equipment such as carbine rifles, Tasers and pepper spray.
Respondents also expressed a desire for more and better quality cold weather items such as jackets, gloves, boots and balaclavas, as well as law enforcement equipment such as shields and helmets.
Some had difficulty accessing reliable communication tools, including police radios, batteries, and radio belt mounts. Staff also cited the need for more computer equipment, better quality Internet connections, and open source intelligence-gathering software.
There is little to no public order or tactical training for general tasks. RCMP members who are not part of tactical support groups or law enforcement units, and no training on crowd control tactics was provided prior to the convoy events to prepare such members, the report says.
“In some cases, those in leadership positions did not provide any inconsistent planning and/or direction about what to do or what the desired or expected outcome should be.”
Improvements related to training are needed to ensure that members are “ready to be used in all types of events,” the report adds.
He reviewInvestigators also found that Ottawa’s training facility in the force’s former headquarters building was unusable “due to poor air quality, causing employees to experience sore throats, sinus congestion and coughs.”
Poor air quality caused the cancellation of five recertification training courses in late 2022 and early 2023, leading to a backlog of members with expired certifications, according to the report. “If the current situation is not resolved, the RCMP “We will not be able to provide surge capacity to law enforcement partners in the National Capital Region.”
Interviewees noted a lack of intelligence coordination within the RCMP during the convoy events, resulting in a duplication of efforts. Some said the confusion was due in part to the absence of “an effective governance structure for the RCMP“The intelligence program.”
Nearly 40 percent of respondents disagreed with the idea that decisions made by RCMP Management was well communicated within the organization during the convoy events.
Many employees worked well beyond scheduled hours, with intelligence professionals working 10 to 15 hours a day without breaks while producing regular updates, sometimes hourly or daily, depending on the team, according to the report.
Frontline members reported working 16 to 18 hours a day during convoy events, not including travel time to distant accommodations. Some employees set up temporary cots in their offices and slept there, the report added.
Officers faced verbal abuse and constant loud noises during the protests. While some supervisors conducted regular follow-ups and check-ins with staff to see if they needed health breaks, “otherwise, limited mental health supports were offered.”
However the RCMPThe British Columbia division assigned a member to ensure the physical and mental well-being of deployed officers.
He RCMP It has since developed a resource guide for employees and families, and the force is conducting a longitudinal study to look at the development of operational stress injuries among members, the report notes.
He RCMP The subsequent action said in a statement review aims to ensure the force captures best practice and lessons learned that could be used in the future.
the force is reviewmaking the reviewThe numerous recommendations of, although some “have already been evaluated” because they correspond to those of the Emergency Law and Order Commission that examined the convoy events and the Mass Casualties Commission on the 2020 murders in Nova Scotia, according to the release.
Efforts to implement the recommendations are being led by the RCMPof the reform, accountability and culture sector to ensure alignment between the “various important works underway to advance these respective reports and investigations.”
Eric Slinn, a retiree RCMP assistant commissioner who served as an external reviewEr of the Natterjack team, says in the after-action report that while the Mounties and other agencies have made changes in planning, communicating and responding to law enforcement events, “the fact is that we need to evolve, adapt, develop and implement standards, seamless and interoperable responses if we are to be effective in our commitment to the safety of Canadians and maintain their trust.”
“However, the implementation of these critically important changes cannot depend on the will of RCMP With leaders alone, it must come with the support of appropriate legislative changes, along with greater government investment.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 9, 2024.