London's deputy police chief says final regulations to ban police from random street checks will change the way police do business.
Ontario released what it's calling ``clear and consistent rules'' for voluntary police-public interactions Tuesday. Under the new regulations, police will have to tell people they have a right to not speak with officers and race cannot be an officer's reason for collecting a person's information.
Deputy Police Chief Steve Williams says the regulations present some hurdles for police.
"Street checks, when they are conducted properly, are a very important public safety tool. They will assist police in preventing and solving crime and gaining a better understanding of crime in the community," says Williams. "With regard to the regulations we will have to have a close look at them over the next few days but it's going to be a different way of doing business. It's something as a police service we will have to adapt to."
In 2014, London police conducted street checks on 360,715 people; 71.3% of whom were white, 7.7% were black and 5.3% were of aboriginal descent. Police say the majority of those checked were "known offenders." Despite those figures, controversy has surrounded street checks with many minority groups saying they were being targeted.
Williams says London police have strived to eliminate any sort of racial bias.
"Our officers, by and large, are practicing bias free policing and certainly we deliver a great deal of training on that," says Williams. "There is oversight with regard to their activities and how they deal with encounters with the public. We are quite comfortable with how we have been doing business. Having said that there is always room for improvement."
Police will still be able to collect personal information during routine traffic stops, when someone is arrested or detained or when a search warrant is issued.
Williams says London police will have local policies and procedures in place by the January 1, 2017 deadline set by the province, if not sooner.
