London police chief addresses officers facing charges, vows to be transparent and accountable

In an effort to be transparent, London’s police chief says they’ll notify the public each time an officer is criminally charged.

The commitment came during a media conference at police headquarters today, where Chief John Pare and police board chair Jeanette Eberhard addressed the city about seven of the service’s officers currently facing criminal charges.

“Breaking the very laws that we are sworn to uphold is absolutely not acceptable. I’m extremely disappointed, and I pledge to Londoners that I will continue to hold any member found to be breaching the trust we are empowered with to account,” said Pare.

“We strive to be as transparent as possible, but it must be recognized that these cases are all before the courts, so I am not able to, and will not be commenting on the specifics of any of the charges.”

Two officers face charges following Special Investigations Unit (SIU) probes, while five others are a result of investigations the London Police Service launched itself.

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There were press releases issued immediately for all but two of the cases, said Pare. And the the extent of information they’ll be able to publicize is governed by the nature of the case, he explained.

“On November 23rd, a media release was issued regarding an officer that will not be named. Doing so would violate our policy to protect the identity of victims of domestic or sexual related crimes, both here in London and in other jurisdictions,” said Pare.

At the time of that media release, an unidentified 41-year-old officer was charged with sexual assault after a woman the accused had been in a relationship with came forward with allegations about an incident that occurred while the officer was off-duty.

Less than two weeks later, Waterloo Regional Police laid charges of criminal harassment, being unlawfully in a dwelling, and making a harassing phone call. Since then, London Police have charged him with criminal harassment and breach of undertaking.

Pare also took the opportunity to address 600 men and women in uniform, telling them how the alleged actions of a few don’t reflect upon the hundreds who “do the right thing everyday.”

The sentiment was echoed by police services board chair Jeanette Eberhard.

“The alleged actions of these officers are not representative of this organization, or the values for which it stands. Values which include fairness, integrity, honesty, and respect for human dignity.”

Despite a commitment to transparency, neither Pare nor Eberhard responded to questions from the media.

When asked why, police spokesperson Roxanne Beaubien said “the statements speak for themselves.”