Peel police report reduced use of force against Black, South Asian individuals

Peel Regional Police released its annual use of force report on Friday, noting a decrease in these incidents involving members of the public.

The report highlights that since 2020, there has been a 15.6 per cent decrease in the number of times a type of force was applied on a public member.

Peel police say use of force applications has dropped by 21.6 per cent against Black individuals and 30.4 per cent for South Asian.

Black people in Peel Region were three times more likely to be met with the use of force in their interactions with police last year versus the rest of the population.

The number of officers involved in the use of force interactions fell by 13 per cent. In 2021, Peel police said 400 officers were involved in the use of force interactions compared to 463 in 2020, noting that data shows that the amount of force used in interactions was consistent across various racial groups.

Last year, de-escalation strategies were used and implied as an alternative measure in 88 per cent of incidents before force was necessary. Less than one per cent of police-involved interactions with a person in crisis concerned the use of force.

A Peel Regional Police officer. Photo: Peel Regional Police/Twitter.

A spokesperson with Peel police said the force is “committed to dismantling racial inequities within policing, to building trust and improving outcomes for communities through professionalism, understanding and compassion.”

In July, the family of a 28-year-old man killed by Peel police filed a lawsuit over his death, alleging negligence on the part of the force, local paramedics and the province’s police watchdog.

Officers with Peel police shot Jamal Francique, a Black man, during an arrest attempt on January 7, 2020. He died in hospital two days later.

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) — which investigates police conduct after a death, serious injury, sexual assault or the firing of a gun at someone — cleared officers of wrongdoing in Francique’s in 2021.

Police were investigating Francique for allegedly dealing drugs and possessing a gun, the SIU said in its report.

Francique’s family alleges police used excessive force against the young man. The family is seeking $101 million in damages.

With files from Liam Casey of The Canadian Press