A report by Toronto’s Ombudsman concludes the Vulnerable Persons Registry established by Toronto police four years ago has failed to do its job.
Ombudsman Kwame Addo says while he applauds the service’s desire to improve how it responds to vulnerable people in crisis, “communication failures and poor management have meant that few of the people the registry aims to support have actually registered for it.”
The registry was launched in December 2019, seven years after a Toronto police review of its online reporting software and five years after Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci recommended that such a registry be created following a review of the police’s encounters with people in crisis.
The registry aims to provide the public with an opportunity to create personalized de-escalation strategies for “vulnerable persons” to help officers better understand and respond to specific behaviours they may encounter when interacting with those persons in crisis.
But Addo says four years later only 305 people currently have their information entered into the registry. He says the low registration numbers are not surprising given that no one within the Toronto Police Service took responsibility for managing it and the unit that was supposed to be in charge denies that it was.
Addo says this lack of accountability created gaps in the Service’s communication about the registry. He notes that the public announcement about the registry was a low-key “one and done” effort, that a community awareness event never happened, details about the registry are no longer available on the police website and staff no longer receive training on how to use or promote it.
“No one is promoting the registry on an ongoing basis, nor is anyone reviewing how communications can be improved, ensuring staff are fulfilling their roles, or providing a central place where people can get consistent answers to their questions.”
Among the 13 recommendations put forth by Addo is a meaningful and detailed information blitz about the goal and purpose of the registry, staff training about respective roles and responsibilities regarding the registry and a clear explanation about how police will use registrant’s personal information.
The Toronto Police Service says it plans to implement all of the Ombudsman’s recommendations, explaining that it plans to turn over the operation of the registry to a third party.
The report is scheduled to be discussed at the upcoming Toronto Police Service Board meeting next week.