(Toronto) The London Police Service in southwestern Ontario is under scrutiny over its decision to send a team to an international competition in Dubai, an event during from which some of its agents trained and confronted members of a Russian special unit suspected of committing atrocities in Ukraine.
A review of the approval process has been launched for London Police’s participation in the UAE Swat Challenge competition in the United Arab Emirates, in which dozens of units from various countries took part in tactical, rescue events and obstacle courses at the end of last month and the beginning of February.
The London Police Service was the only Canadian police force to take part in the competition.
Participants also included the Akhmat unit of the Russian republic of Chechnya, a group accused of committing atrocities during the invasion of Ukraine.
The victory of this unit during an event organized on the fourth day was celebrated in a ceremony in the presence of Adam Kadyrov, son of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, according to a press release. Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is among those subject to economic sanctions by the Canadian government.
London’s police chief and mayor confirmed the police board review would take place, but declined to comment on whether it was appropriate to attend the competition given the unit’s participation Akhmat. “I am prepared to fully participate in the review as we continue to ensure that our members receive the best possible training to perform their duties effectively and safely,” Police Chief Thai Truong wrote in a statement sent by email at the start of the week.
He said the cost of the trip was reduced from $115,000 to $15,700 after discussions with Dubai Police, who organized the event.
And he added: “As leader, I am committed to ensuring our members have access to world-class training opportunities and I have supported the opportunity for our members to train, compete and compete. Learn from over 70 different teams from around the world in Dubai, who are considered among the best internationally. »
Asked about London police training alongside the Chechen unit, Chief Truong’s office declined to comment.
London Mayor Josh Morgan, who sits on the police board, said he supported its decision to “ask the administration to set out specific financial and procedural considerations governing not only the approval of this specific training competition , but also the approval process governing similar training opportunities for the police department. » Mayor Morgan added that he could not comment further so as not to compromise the review process.
Aurel Braun, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto, believes that the participation of the London police force in the event damages Canada’s image and that there is no reasonable justification for this, even if little taxpayer money was spent. “When you do something internationally you also have to be aware of the country’s image, it’s not just a local issue. So there is an additional duty,” according to Professor Braun, who is also associated with the Davis Center for Russia and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, USA.
In his view, it would be important to know exactly how the decision to participate was made, and equally important to impose sanctions severe enough to deter similar decisions in the future.
Aurel Braun even claims that the decision to participate in the competition should lead to resignations and he has drawn parallels with the incident in the House of Commons last year, when the speaker of the assembly resigned after inviting the Parliament a man who had fought for a Nazi military unit.
“In Ukraine, the Kadyrov clan is a big supporter of aggression, they are a big supporter of the Putin regime. So how can we […] consider it justified to participate in the event where these people are present? »
The competition’s website says it aims to “foster the exchange of tactical techniques and skills among international SWAT teams.”
Other participating countries this year included Belarus, China, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Two units from Dubai placed first and second, with the Chechen team finishing in eighth place. London Police made the bottom 10.