U of T report finds police de-escalation training inconsistent across Ontario
Published: May 7, 2018
The police officer who carried out a no-force arrest of the man accused of killing 10 people, including a University of Toronto student, in the North York van attack has been praised for the way he handled the situation.
But according to a report by U of T researchers commissioned by the Ontario government, de-escalation training, which was employed by Const. Ken Lam during the arrest, is inconsistent across the province.
鈥淏ased on research, we recommend a paradigm shift in policing: a movement away from a focus only on weapons and tactics to a focus on the individual officer,鈥 the report says, .
The report, led by Judith Andersen, an assistant professor of psychology at U of T Mississauga, recommends reviewing the current curriculum of the Ontario Police College as well as standardizing and increasing police training around de-escalation in Ontario.
Dorijan Najdovski, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, told the Toronto Star that the report will be considered when addressing changes to the police training curriculum.
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