We currently are witnessing renewed critiques about police practice across jurisdictions. Concerns over racial discrimination, police use of force and the lack of accountability for police abuse of power are all rooted in an acknowledgement that the current mode of police practice is not working.

Even though many municipalities suggest that they follow a community policing framework, policing across Ontario is not really community policing, but rather policing in the community. Policing is reactive, incident-driven and primarily concentrated in hot-spot locations, which typically are economically disadvantaged and racialized.

At the heart of the ‘defund’ the police movement is the recognition that there is a mismatch between current policing practice and the needs of the community. This mismatch has produced significant mistrust of the police among many community members and this has further hampered the implementation of community policing initiatives. Community policing requires the police and members of the community to establish a collaborative, constructive and mutually respectful relationship where there is shared responsibility for community safety.

Not only must the police revamp how they engage with members of the community, but the community must also be able to trust that the police are there to help not to harm them. This is a fundamental hurdle to reforming policing in Ontario. It is not enough to recognize what is not working.

Reforming requires a concerted effort to implement policies and practices that have community engagement and cooperation at the heart of all policing practice. This must include a fundamental shift in how the police exercise their powers in communities. Reform is possible, but without action, talk of reform is just that, talk. 

The most effective community police officers are those who understand the social causes of crime, who have the capacity to forge collaborative and cooperative relationships with diverse members of the community, and who have the ability to work with members of the community to identify issues and create meaningful solutions to social problems.

This is precisely the focus of Trent University Durham’s Policing and Community Well-Being program. This program, which is the first of its kind in Canada, is a community-intensive program designed to provide future police and community workers with the ability to navigate social situations, to work with community organizations to develop concrete and community-responsive solutions to social problems, and to be keenly aware how social inequality in health and safety are connected to community security. These skills are essential for implementing community policing initiatives.

Trent University Durham is at the forefront of reforming policing practice, now it is up to the police services across Ontario to follow suit.

-- Dr. Amy Spendik is an assistant professor in the Policing and Community Wellbeing program at Trent University Durham GTA.

This article originally appeared in Metroland.