OFF THE WIRE
Bartley Kives
vancouversun.com
Criminal gangs have “severely assaulted” off-duty Winnipeg police officers, conducted surveillance on them outside of work and have even shown up at their family events in brazen attempts at intimidation.
WINNIPEG — Criminal gangs have “severely assaulted” off-duty Winnipeg police officers, conducted surveillance on them outside of work and have even shown up at their family events in brazen attempts at intimidation.
A six-week-old Ontario labour-relations decision offers a rare look at the security threats facing Winnipeg police officers as well as civilian employees.
Those incidents have ranged from intimidation to property damage to physical violence over the past decade, the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Police Association acknowledge, even as they decline to discuss specifics for fear of encouraging more incidents of harassment.
On Dec. 20, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled against Toronto's police union in a dispute with the Toronto Police Services Board over the five-year-old practice of requiring police in Canada's largest city to wear name tags.
The Toronto Police Association opposed the metal tags on the grounds they make it easier for "bikers, stalkers and other individuals" to harm police officers, but the labour board decided the nameplates do not increase the risk of harm.
The board's published decision includes an excerpt of a name-tag report authored by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who surveyed police in other cities, including Winnipeg, where officers do not wear the tags.
Winnipeg police advised they are nonetheless the subject of harassment by organized criminal gangs.
"Some members' homes and vehicles have been the target of arsons. As well, these members have experienced disruptions at family events by members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang," reads the excerpt from Blair's report.
"This service also reported off-duty members being severely assaulted by gang members, as well as surveillance conducted on uniform and plainclothes officers by organized crime members."
Some of these incidents of harassment have been made public — most notably the burning of a gang-unit officer's home and the attempted firebombing of her house over a three-month period last decade.
In December 2001, the officer's van was set ablaze while it was parked outside her Winnipeg home. In February 2002, a brick was thrown through her front window and Molotov cocktails were found on her front lawn.
Police have since complained of being followed from the Public Safety Public to their vehicles, among other forms of harassment by gang members.
"There have been many issues, all of which are well-documented and some of which are very serious, in addition to the firebombing," said Mike Sutherland, president of the Winnipeg Police Association. "This is an ongoing concern for us."
Sutherland said he would like to say more but could not, out of concern for the safety of police employees and their families. Officers are also being assaulted more frequently on the job, he added.
"The assaults have escalated over a period of time. It's always a concern," Winnipeg Police Chief Keith McCaskill said.
In response to officers' concerns about being followed to their vehicles from the Public Safety Building on Princess Street, a secure fence with an electronic pass-key was erected around a nearby Winnipeg Parking Authority surface lot.
Officers have also been offered rides or escorts to their vehicles, but many refuse, McCaskill said.
The Winnipeg Police Service's $106-million plan to convert downtown's former Canada Post Building into a new police headquarters includes provisions for secure parking for all officers, the chief added.
The City of Winnipeg purchased the building for $29 million and plans to begin the renovations this year with an eye to consolidating a variety of police offices within the headquarters by 2014.
The Ontario Labour Relations Board, meanwhile, determined the harassment experienced by Winnipeg police proves that nameplates do not increase the threat to officers.
"Gang members in Winnipeg who wished to do police officers harm were not deterred by the absence of name tags," vice-chair Ian Anderson stated in his decision.
Toronto's move to institute police name tags, however, inspired Winnipeg city council's protection and community services committee to ask the Winnipeg Police Service to consider the idea in 2006.
In response, former police chief Jack Ewatski told the committee name tags would make it easy for organized criminals to identify, intimidate and attack off-duty police officers. Badge numbers are sufficient to identify officers, the former chief said.
Read more: http://www.globalwinnipeg.com/world/Brazen+criminals+attacking+spying+duty+Winnipeg+police/4201116/story.html#ixzz1ClVqZMGp
