Canada is often seen as a top choice for Punjabis and many others worldwide. People from all backgrounds dream of moving there. Still, few people acknowledge that Canada isn’t free of corruption. In this view, it can serve as a safe place for dirty money. The country is often described as one of the most lightly regulated spots for money laundering and tax sheltering.
This concern also shows up in politics. Canada has sheltered Khalistani figures for years. Canadian officials have said the country allows supporters of the Khalistan movement to take part in peaceful advocacy, protests, and political speech, and that these actions are protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
But there is also a truth that police corruption towards individuals is very high in Canada, but they do not let it come out openly. The police do not like to shout at their organisation, nor at corrupt higher-ups, friends and members of political parties. They demonstrate their corruption by refusing to engage in criminal activities, refusing to answer calls and messages, and by turning a blind eye to people seeking justice in the system.
Which is why 7 Toronto police officers were arrested on charges of corruption and ties to organised crime in the past day for people facing a crisis of extortion and shootings in Canada. Which is very disappointing for the people of Canada and a crackdown on faith in a clean system.
While there are calls to declare extortion incidents a national emergency and demand strict action against criminals from the police force, the revelation of such corrupt character of some police officers is going to severely damage the public’s trust in the police administration.
It is reported that after the failure of a plot to kill an Ontario prison officer who was on their hit list due to his tough attitude against criminals, a secret investigation was launched by the York Regional Police in June last year in which these police officers were found guilty.
These corrupt officers are accused of leaking information to organized crime bosses, accepting bribes, stealing documents, aiding and abetting drug trafficking, protecting them, breach of trust and participating in a criminal conspiracy. The Toronto Police Association says that the shadow of a few black sheep will not be allowed to fall on the 8,500 uniformed officers of Ontario who are performing their duties with dedication, honesty and vigor to protect the people.
In this regard, the York Police Chief, while addressing a press conference, said that the news of the arrest of corrupt police officers is a huge shock in all police departments of the country, including public institutions, because it is natural to question the Canadian system due to the unethical actions of some
corrupt police officers. These corrupt officers include seven Ontario police officers and a retired constable, a total of 27 people, who have been charged in the largest police corruption investigation in Canada to date.
Among them are one or two officers who have had a very bad past record but despite this, they remained deployed in the police force.It is not surprising that this has become common. There is no crime in Canada that does not involve Indian Punjabis, car theft, traffic violation, extortion by threatening, shooting, burglary, immigration fraud, and now an officer with Punjabi identity, Const.
Saurabjit Bedi and another person named Diljit Singh, are also involved in these. How can this happen without manipulation and crime in any department they set foot in? Due to the information given to criminals by these arrested officers, shootings and extortion incidents have also been carried out in many places.
This revelation is sensational for the Canadian Punjabi community because on the one hand, some Canadian parties accuse foreign interference in the country and talk about the hands of Indian agencies behind the Lawrence Bishnoi gang of India, which is said to be responsible for extortion and shooting incidents, but on the other hand, the revelations of the links and corruption of Canadian police officers with gangsters and criminals make the matter even more serious.
Although the York Regional Police launched this long and major investigation after the murderous attack on one of its officers by criminals and made a commendable effort to expose the black sheep, it is difficult to deny that this revelation has also done a great damage to the people’s faith in the police system. Police history records that Sir Robert Peel, the founder of modern policing, said in 1829 while creating the London Metropolitan Police Force that the police are the people and the people are the police.
What he meant to say was that to make the police effective, winning the trust and cooperation of the public is the first condition.But that core principle of effective policing for citizens has been dealt a major blow with the revelation of police corruption. Meanwhile, the York police chief’s comment is also significant that the revelations of this investigation have certainly done a disservice to the entire police system and damaged public confidence.
He has also tried to build public patience by saying that during his 35 years of service, many corrupt officers have previously faced departmental investigations. During investigations conducted by the RCMP against corrupt officers between 1995 and 2005, 204 officers were found guilty of corruption cases. In 2014, senior Montreal police officer Roberge was sentenced to 8 years in prison for his ties to the racist gang Hells Angels. In 2022, 6 provincial police officers were found guilty during a criminal investigation against the Ontario towing industry.
In a recent incident in 2024, an RCMP intelligence officer, Cameron Ortiz, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for leaking Government information and breaching the department. Suffice it to say that corruption in the Canadian police and action against corrupt officers is not a new phenomenon, but in the current climate of insecurity and fear in Canada, the criminal corruption of 27 people, including 7 current police officers and one former police officer, with the leaders of the criminal world is a very big and shaking incident for the Canadian system.
In less developed countries, incidents of police corruption and injustice with the people are considered common, but in a developed country like Canada, where the police force is independent of the influence of politics, such an occurrence is very worrying and suspicious. To restore public confidence in the police system, it is the first responsibility of the Government and the police administration to immediately resolve the current extortion and firing crisis and provide satisfactory results, along with timely action and exemplary punishment against corrupt officials.
SURJIT SINGH FLORA
