Canada police associations band together to curb ‘wave of violence’

The killings of four police officers in Ontario in the past four months has led to some of Canada’s largest police associations to band together to identify the root cause.

Four different police associations are joining forces in order to facilitate change, including the Canadian Police Association, the Police Association of Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Police Association, and the Toronto Police Association.

The associations represent more than 60,000 members.

READ MORE: Mounting calls for changes to Canada’s justice system following the shooting death of OPP officer

A statement jointly released by the police associations outlines specific next steps they are willing to take to ensure the “wave of violence” against police doesn’t continue.

“We will review the judicial and public safety frameworks, commit to further research to fully understand the best remedies, identify what isn’t working, and call for change to ensure that this does not continue,” the statement said.

They say they will also take into consideration a growing shortage of police officers.

READ MORE: UPDATE: OPP officer shot and killed near Hagersville; suspects in custody

The call for change comes as four different police officers have been killed in Ontario since September.

A funeral was held Wednesday for 28-year-old OPP Const. Greg Pierzchala, who was shot and killed while responding to a call for a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville on Dec. 27.

South Simcoe Police officers Devon Northrup and Morgan Russell were shot at an Innisfil home and died in hospital, and Toronto Police Const. Andrew Hong was shot dead in Mississauga.