OTTAWA — An internal RCMP review of the force's response to 'Freedom Convoy' protests found that some officers at the scene of an Alberta blockade were unaware of threats to harm police until after the episode ended.
OTTAWA — An internal RCMP review of the force's response to"Freedom Convoy" protests found that some officers at the scene of an Alberta blockade were unaware of threats to harm police until after the episode ended.
The review includes the results of a survey of 1,641 RCMP personnel involved in the response to the 2022 protests that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for weeks and jammed key border points. At Coutts, the RCMP found firearms, ammunition and tactical vests in trailers. Police also uncovered an alleged conspiracy to murder RCMP officers.
Public anger grew over a lack of enforcement action by Ottawa police. Officers from other forces, including the RCMP, gradually arrived to help clear the streets. It notes the convoy events took place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, further limiting availability of officers due to illness.
Some had difficulties accessing reliable communication tools, including police radios, batteries and radio holders for belts. Personnel also cited a need for more computer equipment, better-quality internet connections and software for open-source intelligence collection. The reviewers also found the Ottawa training facility at the force's former headquarters building was unusable"due to poor air quality resulting in employees experiencing sore scratchy throats, sinus congestion and coughing."
Many employees toiled well beyond scheduled hours, with intelligence practitioners working 10 to 15 hours a day without breaks as they produced regular updates, sometimes hourly, or daily, depending on the team, the report says.
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