THUNDER BAY — Numerous municipal and Indigenous police services across Ontario are participating in the OPP-led Guns and Gangs Joint Forces Operation (JFO), but Thunder Bay Police have chosen a different path.
Ontario Provincial Police announced Tuesday that "law enforcement agencies are uniting to enhance their capacity to implement a guns and gangs strategy."
It said JFO is expected to increase intelligence-sharing and provide additional enforcement tools through a $75 million investment announced last fall by the Ontario government.
JFO participants include the Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay, Nishnawbe-Aski and Anishinabek Police Services, as well as services in southern Ontario cities such as Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and London.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique says they "will work relentlessly as one team to protect the safety and security of citizens," adding "criminals are on notice that gangs, guns and all the illegal activities that follow them are not welcome in our communities."
Other police services besides TBPS, such as Sault Ste. Marie's, also decided not to join the initiative.
In Thunder Bay, where police have expressed concern about the increasing use of guns by drug traffickers – and the impact this has on already-stretched resources –Acting Chief Dan Taddeo said in a statement to TBnewswatch that the service applauds any initiative aimed at disrupting drug trafficking and gang activity.
But Taddeo said the depth of social and law enforcement issues in Thunder Bay presents unique challenges.
"When partnership opportunities present themselves, we must carefully evaluate how our resources may fit in and what local impacts that could have," he said. "This is the critical balance needed to ensure we are not overextending our resources by committing officers outside of the City of Thunder Bay."
Taddeo said TBPS continues to cooperate with law enforcement partners across Ontario, including through the mutual sharing of intelligence.
He said TBPS is currently working on a new Northern Ontario municipal joint force operation but did not provide details.
In the meantime, the Thunder Bay Police Service is continuing to seek what Taddeo called "an equitable share" of government funding for disrupting drug trafficking and the violence it has brought into the community.
NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that the Thunder Bay Police Service is not the only police service to opt out of the OPP-led initiative
