The Role of Police in Society

Head Table Guests

Bart J. Mindszenthy, APR, Partner, Mindszenthy & Roberts Communications Counsel and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; Michael Clarke, CM, Instructor, Police Foundations, Humber College and Director, Easterling Technology Corporation; Zoraya Castaneda, Honours Student, Parkdale Collegiate Institute; Robert G. Douglas, Vice-President, Private Client Group, Merrill Lynch Canada; The Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman, CM, KStJ, BA, LL.B. LL.D, 00, Chairman and President, E-L Financial Corporation Ltd. and Honorary Chairman, The Empire Club of Canada; Heather C. Devine, Associate in Litigation, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP and Director, The Empire Club of Canada; William J. McCormack, OStJ, Retired Chief of Police, Metropolitan Toronto Police Force and Honorary Director, The Empire Club of Canada; and George L. Cooke, President and CEO, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company and Past President, The Empire Club of Canada.

Introduction by Catherine Steele

It is my privilege to introduce to you our guest speaker, Julian Fantino, Chief of Police, Toronto Police Services.

Visitors to our city often remark that Toronto has all the attractions of a big city without the big city fear or crime that go with it.

While public safety consistently remains one of the top concerns of Canadians, I think it's fair to say that most of us don't give a great deal of thought to the people who dedicate their time and their lives to keep us safe.

A recent monument erected and unveiled at Queen's Park dedicated to police officers in Ontario who lost their lives in the line of duty serves as an important reminder of the commitment made every day by police forces across the province.

Chief Fantino's appointment and arrival in Toronto was greeted with much fanfare and great media interest. Following the footsteps of previous well-respected chiefs like Bill McCormack, expectations were high.

Since his appointment on March 6, Chief Fantino has certainly met these expectations and is demonstrating with his actions that his belief in the principles of integrity, honesty and accountability in policing goes beyond just words. No doubt you've seen Chief Fantino on nightly newscasts because he's been hard at work at building relationships with community groups across the city, addressing issues affecting youth and taking action with his own force on disciplinary issues.

Chief Fantino has a long history of service in policing. His previous roles include Chief of York Regional Police Service and Chief of the London Police Service.

In being appointed Chief of Toronto Police Service, Chief Fantino is coming full circle since he spent 23 years of service with the Metropolitan Toronto Police before becoming Chief in London.

During his time with the Toronto Police Force he served in various areas including undercover drug enforcement, uniform patrol, criminal intelligence, homicide squad and as a division commander.

He has lectured extensively to the police community, government and the public sector on police-related matters and public safety issues. He is Past President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and Past Chair of Criminal Intelligence Services Ontario.

He is the recipient of many awards including an award of appreciation from the Jane-Finch Multicultural Association and the Jane-Finch Fights Back Committee; Volunteer of the Year from the London Urban Alliance on Race Relations; and the Award of Excellence from the Criminal Intelligence Service Canada.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Chief Julian Fantino to The Empire Club of Canada.

Julian Fantino

""They must stand up for and champion rights for those who have been left behind, speak out and do so loudly to address inadequacies and do so with honesty and conviction, take risks and provide meaningful leadership.""

Those views referencing the role of police in society were expressed by then Calgary Chief of Police Gerry Borbridge during his presentation on Community Policing at The Police, The Community and the Administration of Justice Seminar held in Calgary, August 1991.

Good afternoon everyone!

It is a distinct honour for me to have this opportunity to share with you my sentiments on issues that relate to the role of police in society, and more particularly, the role of police in our communities.

In many ways policing is an increasingly complex task. Over my policing career, in various capacities, I have seen many changes, some good, some not so good, that have influenced our profession. Police work in the traditional sense has always maintained as its focus the duty to fight crime, solve problems and basically enforce the laws of the land.

No matter what cosmetic treatment is given to the profession, police organisations will continue to be the constant in people's lives primarily concerned about public safety, security and quality-of-life issues.

Regardless of debate, the lawmakers and the public at large must remember that uppermost in the hierarchy of needs, people expect to be safe and protected. In very simple terms, law-abiding, decent people legitimately expect to be insulated and protected from those in our society who are intent on pursuing criminal behaviour.

Over recent years we have seen an inordinate amount of attention focused on the policing profession, some of it worthwhile and constructive, too much of it rhetoric and a waste of time, energy and resources, and but for a relatively few occasions the conduct and performance of our police officers is beyond reproach.

The way I see it at least, crime, violence, the proliferation of firearms and their use, youth gangs, drugs, the sexual victimisation and abuse of children are but symptoms of the real problem. I am moved to ask, in the final analysis, when the symptoms and the causes of diminished safety in our society continue to be neglected, and the causes of crime ignored, who other than the police will continue to form the thin blue line separating the good from the bad and provide some degree of public safety from otherwise certain anarchy?

Trust me, folks, although we have our limitations and no doubt we are not perfect, when it comes to accountability, the policing profession is both honest and honourable.

Police officers know they are providing an invaluable service. We are making a difference and our people are highly motivated to persevere in the cause of law and order regardless of frustrations. I am convinced that our contribution is in fact important to the majority of citizens who happen to appreciate the service we provide, and that very reality continues to inspire me as I go about leading a truly glorious Toronto Police Service into the new millennium.

Police have traditionally enjoyed a great deal of support from our citizens, the very people who give the police the legitimacy to protect them. In other words, the community will generally receive the type, quality and quantity of policing it wants and is willing to sustain. And that is where the concept of Community Policing is validated and reinforced.

We should examine the meaning of community. In human geography, the term community is used to define a group of people living in the same village, town or suburb in a sympathetic association. In the context of policing, there is now a distinct difference between a geographic community and a community of interests. Crime, disorder, and fear of crime can help create a community of interest within a geographic community. Essentially, community policing reflects a set of community values, rather than a technical orientation.

Community Policing does work (I know from personal experience) but I also know that Community Policing is neither cheap nor an easy fix for crime and disorder. In fact, at the outset at least, Community Policing initiatives are very labour intensive. Long term, however, the accomplishments derived are absolutely outstanding.

The obvious benefits of a shared responsibility are the forming of partnerships-the police and the community working closely together to solve problems and provide an enhanced feeling of comfort and quality of life available to the citizens and greater satisfaction for police officers. The philosophy of Community Policing requires contemporary strategies that support programmes that are pro-active rather than reactive, crime prevention rather than crime management, with a concentrated focus on community well-being.

Policing in the structured sense has come a long way. If anything, we seem to have come full circle from the days of Sir Robert Peel, who in 1829 formed the first police service. His belief that ""the police are the community and the community are the police"" has become the contemporary focus of most police organisations. Certainly this has become our vision at the Toronto Police Service.

By way of anecdote allow me to share a gem with you. A law manual published by WJ. Coates of Toronto in 1835 notes the power of police constables of that time. According to that authority: A constable had to live where he served and enforce various statutes. He was also generally authorised without any warrant to arrest all traitors, felons and suspicious persons, and all those whom he should see upon the point of committing treason or felony, or doing any act which would manifestly endanger life.

Admittedly, that was pretty powerful authority. But it got the job done, in those days at least. If we did that today, the jails would be filled with police officers while the jail-keepers would probably be the criminals.

Be assured that regardless of frustrations, as a profession we will continue to provide to our citizens the most professional, efficient and dedicated police services that will ensure:

1. Enhanced public safety, security and quality of life by working with our citizens to solve problems;
2. Enhanced officer safety;
3. Enhanced resolution of crime and crime prevention;
4. Enhanced resource management;
5. Enhanced community-based policing, including support for the victims of crime and all law-abiding citizens.

To believe that any community will forever remain relatively free of drugs, violence, youth gangs, organised crime and a deteriorating quality of life, in my respectful view, is simply naive. I for one caution against complacency and rhetoric about the realities of crime and victimisation, including the ""crime is down"" refrain that tends to lull people into a false sense of comfort.

Let me remind everyone that a mere 12 years ago, police officers in Canada knew very little about ""crack cocaine."" Some of us heard about it. We had very little awareness of the havoc it was beginning to generate in some neighbourhoods in some of the major American cities.

Until we began to see it surface in Canada we did not even know what it was, how it was made, the depth and organisation of distribution, and most certainly had little experience about the degree of violence it generated.

A short 12 years later, whole communities have become crack cocaine battlefields where the dealers are ruthless, well-armed, highly organised and their victims are children, families and the well-being of community life.

As well, we know from experience that 50 to 70 per cent of all community-based crime--break and enters, robberies and the like--are drug-related.

In the United States, and although admittedly to some lesser degree in Canada, an entire generation of inner-city children has grown up thinking that guns, drugs and violence are all there is to life. Regardless of crime statistics, my concerns have been more than validated by the stunning incidents of gunfire, murder and havoc that I personally witnessed this past Easter weekend.

Having said the foregoing, however, I think it inappropriate that I leave you with a negative outlook about every aspect of safety and security of our communities. And certainly, I would not want to leave you with the notion that I am a doom-and-gloom person or an alarmist. Far from it. In fact, I place a great deal of faith in the men and women, civilian and sworn, of our police service and our willingness to work hard with our citizens to ensure optimum public safety.

Certainly, a great deal of the credit for the existing healthy status of the profession flows from all those people, present and past, who have laboured and contributed to the enviable reputation of a glorious profession; a profession that is truly dedicated to serve and protect working with the community.

I am very proud to be a police officer and humbly acknowledge my good fortune. I also recognise, as any good strategist should, that the strength of any organisation is the depth, quality, commitment and dedication of its people, who routinely rise to high levels of achievement, professional conduct and service. I call this valuing people and I value the members, civilian and sworn, of the Toronto Police Service!

My personal beliefs are influenced by the powerful words of John F. Kennedy: ""Things don't just happen. People make things happen.""

In that context, it is my belief that in years to come it will be the partnership of police and community, working together in a climate of mutual respect, understanding and cooperation that will, like no other strategy or innovation, ensure that our citizens continue to enjoy a truly enhanced quality of life and that our police officers also benefit, personally and professionally, from their efforts as the keepers of the public peace. Partnerships work; real partnerships get the job done.

Thank you for your continued support.

The appreciation of the meeting was expressed by George L. Cooke, President and CEO, The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company and Past President, The Empire Club of Canada.