G20 Review finds police unprepared

An after-action review of the Toronto police and associated police forces actions during the G20 protests last year has found the police were unprepared and overwhelmed by the scope and intensity of what they faced.

The report, which was posted yesterday afternoon on the Toronto police website, was written by unidentified senior Toronto officers, as well as civilians who reviewed footage of the event.

It points out a number of critical weaknesses in the police strategy.

One such weakness was the use of less trained officers who were not trained in mob management. The report found that these inexperienced officers might have inflamed the mob with their actions, deteriorating the situation.

It also points out the clash between the various police involved such as the RCMP, Toronto police and the Ontario police.

The biggest problem the report says was the unexpected situation the police found them selves in when they had to protect large numbers of their own whom lacked proper equipment and could not use lethal force. In one day eight "assist police" calls were made, the most serious distress call an officer can make.

Th report makes a number of recommendations such as the need to develop better identifying procedures to extract individuals from the crowd. It also recommended better public order management for officers.