Chief Bill Blair admits police were unprepared, made mistakes at G20

Toronto police were caught off guard and unprepared for what hit them at the G20, according to Chief Bill Blair’s review of policing at the summit.

They were surprised by the Black Bloc, couldn’t handle the number of prisoners they were sending to the temporary detention centre and erred in corralling hundreds of peaceful protesters at Queen St. W. and Spadina Ave.

“Better methods must be developed for extracting individuals posing a threat to public safety from within large crowds,” Blair’s report says in reference to the “kettling” of about 300 protesters, broadcast live on the final day of the summit.

Toronto police have been widely criticized following last June’s meeting of world leaders in the city. They were seen to have seemingly allowed wanton property destruction by a small pack of black-clad vandals, while using heavy-handed tactics against many peaceful protesters in response.

Police arrested more than 1,100 people over the weekend, the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. Most were never charged.

Blair’s 70-page report, released late Thursday, does not explain why so many were arrested, nor does it directly address conditions at the G20 jail on Eastern Ave., which has been sharply criticized for overcrowding and inhumane treatment.

It also makes no mention of the two Toronto police officers who have been charged with assaulting protesters.

The report complains of a lack of planning time, and takes aim at the federal government for its late decision to move the second half of the G8/G20 to Toronto.

“While host cities of some previous G8/G20 summits had two years to prepare,” Toronto police were able to meet security demands in “just six months.”

Regarding Saturday’s events, when a pack of radical anarchists split from the peaceful protest group and began a 90-minute rampage downtown, the report’s blow-by-blow timeline paints a portrait of disorganization and confusion among police, who always seemed a step behind the unpredictable vandals.

Police “lacked the mobility and speed” to respond to the Black Bloc, the report says, so chose not to engage them and instead focused on officer safety. It recommends police develop better strategies to deal with such “dynamic situations.”

Regarding the kettling at Queen and Spadina, Blair says that when using “containment techniques,” police must give law-abiding citizens a route to exit and “a reasonable opportunity to leave the affected area.”

Immediately following the summit, Blair repeatedly told media that everyone inside the kettle was given three clear warnings to disperse — a claim denied by many detained at the intersection.

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Source: Toronto Star