RCMP officers who responded to the blockade in Coutts, Alberta, were not made aware of the threats made against police until the end of the episode, an internal report reveals.
The report describes the “chaotic efforts” to mobilize agents in Ottawa during the anti-government protests of February 2022, the lack of adequate equipment, insufficient training and poor coordination in intelligence gathering.
He says some RCMP personnel have had to work long hours and even had to sleep in the office.
Moreover, he judges that the federal government’s demands to be informed hourly of events have prevented the intelligence services from collecting the most up-to-date information.
The Canadian Press obtained this 92-page document through the Access to Information Act.
The report also includes the results of a survey of RCMP personnel deployed to respond to protesters who paralyzed the nation’s capital and border crossings for many weeks.
In Coutts, RCMP discovered firearms, ammunition and body armor in trailers. She also investigated an alleged plot to kill federal law enforcement officers.
The report highlights that the survey revealed that some agents present at Coutts “were not aware of the threats against them before the end of the blockade”. Others learned about it through the media.
“This raises concerns about the safety of officers deployed on the front lines. This is a question that must be addressed by our organization, we can read in the report. It is imperative that all our frontline officers receive intelligence, particularly on possible threats, before being deployed. »
Another problem highlighted by those who participated in the survey: it was difficult to mobilize a sufficient number of RCMP officers to assist the Ottawa police because this deployment was not mandatory.
Emails were sent to national headquarters employees asking if they wanted to be deployed to help the Ottawa Police Service, the report’s author said.
As the protests took place during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of officers could be mobilized, as many were absent due to illness.
Additionally, it was difficult to assemble “an adequate number of police vehicles and equipment” because, as a general rule, RCMP officers deployed to headquarters are not equipped like those working in regular detachments. They are not doing front-line work.
Agents also expressed the wish to be better equipped against the cold.
Others admitted to having difficulty accessing a reliable communications system. We were short of radios, batteries and even cases. They spoke of the need to be better equipped with computers and software, with access to the Internet, for intelligence gathering.
The report’s authors also noted that RCMP training facilities were unusable “due to poor air quality which caused officers to develop sore throats, sinus congestion and coughing.” “.
Poor air quality even forced the police force to cancel five recertification courses at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. Result: a significant number of officers whose certification has expired. “If the current situation is not resolved, the RCMP will be unable to assist its policing partners in the National Capital Region,” the report warns.
Approximately 40% of respondents disagreed that RCMP management had communicated well with all of its personnel throughout the protests.
In a statement, the RCMP stressed that the review was conducted with the intention of drawing the best lessons from events to be better prepared in the future.
The police force is studying several recommendations made in the report, some of which have already been put into effect. They matched those expressed by the State of Emergency Commission which studied the 2022 protests and the Mass Casualty Commission which examined the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting.
To support these changes, the RCMP created a new sector in May 2023: Reform, Accountability and Culture.
Eric Slinn, a former senior RCMP executive, is one of the report’s authors. He wrote that the RCMP must continue to evolve and adapt by putting in place standardized, transparent and interoperational intervention methods if it wants to be effective in protecting Canadians and maintaining their trust.
“Implementing these important transformations cannot depend solely on the will of RCMP leaders. They must be accompanied by appropriate legislative changes and greater government investment. »