Leaning forward in his chair, hands clasped tightly atop his desk, this city’s unapologetic police chief said he had no regrets and no plans to resign over the G20. “I believe that when the people of this city have the opportunity to have access to all the facts that are contained in that report, they may then have the opportunity to have a better informed opinion,” said police Chief Bill Blair, who was responding to a Angus Reid/Toronto Star poll, which showed public support for police actions during the G20 has plummeted.
In an in-depth interview on Friday, Blair repeated the point several times. He said anybody with questions or concerns about how the police handled the G20 simply needs to read his report.
“I believe that when the public has access to honest, objective and fulsome accounts of what transpired that they will have a much better understanding of the challenges that police faced,” Blair went on.
The 70-page report, released Thursday, shows that police were overwhelmed and underprepared to respond to the “dynamic situations” the G20 posed.
It does not address allegations of police misconduct. Other bodies are doing that, he said.
The report details a number of areas where police commit to improving in future — they need to figure out how to handle Black Bloc tactics, better administrate mass arrests and extricate criminal elements from large crowds without detaining hundreds of peaceful people.
But given a chance to concede any regrets, Blair declined.
Full Article
Source: Toronto Star
No comments:
Post a Comment