Peter Sloly has been under fire over the force’s apparent inability to dislodge trucker-led protests
Ottawa Police chief Peter Sloly has resigned amid criticism of the force’s handling of the ongoing Freedom Convoy trucker-led protest against federal Covid-19 vaccination mandates in the Canadian capital, local media said on Tuesday. According to CBC News, he is likely to announce his resignation at a meeting of the police board on Tuesday.
Riley Brockington is Ottawa City Councillor tweetedSloly’s surprise resignation came a week after he said that he didn’t plan on stepping down, despite growing pressure from the federal government and the local governments to evacuate the protestors. According to CTV news, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson had given Sloly a vote of confidence on Monday, agreeing with the chief’s request for more resources from the provincial and federal governments.
The outlet reported that the city’s residents have grown increasingly angry with the police response to the protests, which have dominated the downtown area of the capital.
CTV news reports that Sloly asked repeatedly for reinforcements during the week and requested an additional 1,800 police officers in order to put an end to the protest. The report also stated that Justin Trudeau was not present at the meeting. “accept the contention that the city of Ottawa has exhausted its tools and resources.” The force’s inability to dislodge protesters is thought to have contributed to the Trudeau government’s approval of invoking emergency powers on Monday.
Multiple unnamed sources revealed to CBC that Sloly was having a difficult relationship with senior officers of the force. They also mentioned tensions between Sloly, the Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who were deployed during the crisis to support local law enforcement.
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According to the broadcaster, three of his incident response commandos have been reassigned in recent weeks after having worked with Sloly. According to one of the commanders, Sloly did not have a rationale and that his decision was based on an apparent failure. “all come out in a review.”
Sloly or the Ottawa Police has not responded to accusations against the chief. However, the Ottawa Police released a statement Monday to CBC regarding how they handled it. “unprecedented situation”It has been “well beyond the experience of any municipal policing body in Canada”And “has put tremendous strain on all our officers.”
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