Ottawa police issues more than 3,000 tickets; 172 active criminal investigations

While “Freedom Convoy” protests continue occupying downtown Ottawa, the city's police force said it currently has more than 150 active criminal investigations and has issued thousands of tickets in relation to the crisis.

During an Ottawa Police Services Board special meeting on Tuesday, February 15, acting Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson said the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) has 172 active criminal investigations and has handed out nearly 3,000 tickets.

Moreover, the OPS has made 18 arrests and laid 33 charges to date.

Ferguson added that the number of demonstrators remaining in downtown Ottawa has significantly declined.

At the beginning of the demonstrations, she said there were more than 4,000 vehicles occupying Ottawa's downtown core.

Now, there were fewer than 150 demonstrators in the overnight hours and fewer than 360 vehicles remaining.

“The overall footprint of the demonstration remains more or less the same, though a small number of trucks have been relocated from residential areas of the downtown core to Wellington Street in front of Parliament (Hill),” acting Deputy Chief Trish Ferguson said. “This was an outcome of negotiations that occurred between the mayor and some of the demonstrators.”

However, the chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board expressed her dissatisfaction with how the OPS has handled the ongoing “Freedom Convoy” protests.

“Frankly, the response to this crisis so far has been ineffective at bringing this occupation to an end and restoring peace and security in Ottawa,” Diane Deans said during the special meeting. “The OPS has been unable to adequately enforce our laws and our residents continue to be terrorized — it isn't good enough.

“Like other residents in Ottawa, I have watched in disbelief as this carnival of chaos has been allowed to continue.”

While she acknowledged the OPS was operating with a lack of resources, she criticized the lack of action taken with current resources, calling it “puzzling and frustrating.”

On Monday, February 7, former chief Peter Sloly requested 1,800 more officers and civilian personnel to help the OPS handle the protests. But in a police board meeting on Friday, February 11, Sloly said officers in Ottawa can't do much without the additional manpower.

“We appreciate that the community wants us to increase our enforcement actions, though as we have said from the beginning, we are managing security and safety throughout,” Ferguson said. “What this means is that we're not always in a position to lay a charge or ticket on an individual due to a specific security or safety concern at the time. It doesn't mean it cannot be done at a later stage by different means of service.”

Ferguson said the OPS will continue collecting evidence and working with its partners to ensure there are consequences made in the future.

That means the OPS will be doing months of follow-up investigative work to lay any necessary charges, no matter where an individual lives.

On the weekend, the OPS announced the creation of an “integrated command centre” to help police respond to the trucker convoy protests.

The centre, led by the OPS, will give the force a structured framework as it handles the occupation.

“The ICC will allow for the oversight and coordination or planning and logistical supports, and experts who continue to arrive from across the country,” she said. “These experts carry with them a great level of knowledge and experience in responding to such protracted demonstrations and will be critical … as we move forward.

“Finally, the ICC will aid in providing strategic communications to all parties, including members of the public, the media and our policing partners.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Sloly's resignation as the OPS chief was announced, following criticism from the way he has handled the ongoing protests.

But with the new integrated command centre and tools put in place by the government, interim chief Steve Bell said he's positive about the OPS' situation for the coming weeks.

“The unlawful occupation has been a tremendous stress on our community, everyone who lives in Ottawa, and has brought on unprecedented challenges to both the police service and the city as a whole,” Bell said. “I know it's been tough, I know it continues to be tough. But I'm confident that we've reached a turning point.

“With the new resources that we've seen flowing in from our policing partners … I believe we now have the resources and partners to bring a safe end to this occupation.”