POLS 3300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Police Services Act Of Ontario, Sting Operation, Special Investigations Unit
9 Apr 2018
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Document Summary
As discussed in the previous unit (unit 04), police independence and accountability are of the utmost importance when considering the role of the police in canada. However, we did not discuss the various agencies and actors that are responsible for holding the police accountable. Indeed, canadian police are enmeshed in webs of oversight and are subject to multiple, and sometimes overlapping, sites of accountability. To prevent the police from being controlled or exploited by any one group, they must be subject to oversight from multiple groups. The image above illustrates the primary sites of oversight and accountability for the police. In the image, the sites are identified as political, administrative, legal, civilian, media and commission/inquiry. Political oversight is provided through ministerial responsibility by the appropriate minister (minister of. Community safety and correctional services in ontario and the minister of public safety at the national level). Political oversight can also be found in police boards.
