Protesters arrested at this week's G8 gatherings can expect to be charged and vandals will be on the hook for cleanup costs, Ottawa Police Chief Vince Bevan said yesterday.
Police came under fire after last fall's G20 protests when about 50 people were arrested but only seven were charged with offences, including mischief and assaulting police.
The less-than-stellar ratio prompted accusations overzealous police were arresting people without cause.
But the reason charges weren't laid in that protest may have been less sinister.
"During G20, there were people who were arrested (and released) without charges who probably should have been charged," said Bevan.
With a high volume of arrests and the confusion during the protests, the handover of some prisoners was not carried out properly, leaving officers without key information, such as the name of the arresting officer or who read the suspects their rights.
"All of the essential elements to prove a charge," said Bevan.
The situation left police with no choice but to free the detained protesters.
"We've gotten better at making sure the evidence trail is followed," Bevan said.
"This time we will turn that around."
Several police forces have come together to work on the protests and Bevan said an effort has been made to ensure everyone understands procedures.
To make sure charges are laid, police have also organized investigative teams who will conduct "on-the-spot audits" of arrests to ensure everything is in order before allowing arresting officers to head back to the street.
Ottawa police have learned their lesson well and have been passing along their knowledge to other police forces, said Bevan.
Officers from the local force travelled to Halifax to help that city's police force deal with a G7 protest earlier this month. Their advice included a new way to audit arrests.
"Halifax had a big thank you to Ottawa for setting up that process," said Bevan.
The new process had much better results, with 29 people charged of 31 arrested in Halifax.
Bevan also said police will ask the courts to force arrested vandals to pay for any damage they have caused.
"One of my concerns is this time, whenever we arrest somebody, (we will) bring them to court and ask for an order of restitution," said Bevan.
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