Ontario’s policing landscape is on the brink of a significant shift this month, as key changes from the Community Safety and Policing Act, passed five years ago, finally came into effect on April 1st. Strathroy-Caradoc Police Chief, Mark Campbell says discussions in regards to the act have been ongoing for awhile now.
Campbell says there will be a few new things happening in accordance with the new act.
One of the most notable changes under the new act is the authority given to police chiefs to suspend officers without pay under specific circumstances.
Under the previous Police Services Act, officers were only denied pay while suspended if they were both convicted of an offense and subsequently sentenced to imprisonment. However, the updated law expands on this by allowing chiefs to implement unpaid suspensions if an officer is in custody, on bail with certain conditions, or facing charges related to a serious off-duty offense that could warrant termination from their position.
While talks of the new act have been going on for some time now, Campbell says he is not surprised that it has taken this long to finalize.
Written by: K. Milhomens
