POLICE SERVICES Presented By: JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY OF LONDON AND DISTRICT
POLICE RESPONSIBILITY The police has the following responsibilities: Protect people and assets Prevent crime Enforce the law Provide assistance to victims of crime Maintain public order. Respond to emergency situations Provide record screening service (police check, etc.)
POLICE POWERS Have the right to stop and ask questions such as name, address, identification, etc. Have the right to get in your home Have the right to arrest you if you involve in a serious crime Have the right to detain you if they are investigating a crime or they have reasonable suspicion that you are connected to the crime Have the right to search you, your body, your home (or your car) if you are placed under arrest
THE POLICE CAN STOP YOU IN THE FOLLOWING CIRCUMSTANCES: If they see you are committing a crime If they suspect that you have committed a crime While you are driving or riding a bicycle If you are present in a crime area If you are loitering, acting strangely or running away If you appear emotional, angry, fearful or intoxicated If you match the description on a wanted person
WHEN YOU GET STOPPED BY POLICE Be polite to ask them the reason why you get stopped If they ask your personal information, you have to provide the correct information. If you lie about it, you might be charged If they question you, you have the right to remain silent Exception: if you are involved in the car accident or committed a driving offence, you must provide your personal information and answer police s questions. You could be charged with an offence if you do not co-operate with them
STOPPED BY THE POLICE WHILE DRIVING The police can stop cars at any time to determine whether a car is mechanically fit, to check whether a driver has a valid licence, or to make sure a driver has insurance. The police may also stop your car if they suspect that you have committed a driving offence You must stay in your car and wait for the police officer to come to you You MUST provide your driver s licence, car registration and insurance information to the police if requested otherwise you might be charged with an offence If the police suspect that you have been drinking alcohol, they can demand that you take a roadside breath test or physical sobriety tests
STOPPED BY THE POLICE WHILE DRIVING (CONT.) You have to allow the police to search your car if they have reasonable grounds to believe that there are illegal drugs or alcohol or crime evidence in the car. If you are riding a bicycle, and the police see you commit an offence such as failing to stop at a red light, they can stop you. You must provide your name and address to the police if requested. They can arrest you if you refuse to do so.
The police have the right to detain you if they are investigating a crime and they have reasonable suspicion that you are connected to the crime If you have been detained but not arrested, and a police officer believes that there are reasonable grounds to think that his/her safety or the safety of others is at risk, the officer may do a pat-down search of you to check for weapons.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DETAIN AND ARREST (CONT.) If you are placed under arrest, the police may search you, your clothes and anything you are carrying. They can also search your immediate surroundings, which could include your car if that is where you are arrested. The police can search you if they believe that the search is necessary for the safety of the police and the public, to protect evidence from destruction, or to discover evidence that may relate to your guilt or innocence
If the crime is minor, you might be charged without being arrested, but if the crime is serious, you will be arrested The police may release you from the police station under certain conditions or they can keep you in custody and then you will be taken to court, usually within 24 hours of your arrest
YOUR RIGHTS WHEN YOU ARE DETAINED OR ARRESTED Anything you say to the police might be used against you in court. If you are detained or arrested, you have the right not to answer any questions, you can ask to speak to a lawyer. If you wish to contact a lawyer, the police must provide you with a telephone. You have the right to speak to a lawyer in private. In Ontario, Legal Aid pays lawyers known as Duty Counsels to provide free legal advice, 24 hours a day.
THE POLICE CAN ENTER AND SEARCH YOUR HOME IF THEY HAVE: A warrant that allows them to enter your home to arrest someone A search warrant (a written order from the court) Permission from you or from someone else in authority in your home A search warrant allows the police to search your home and take certain items that they find. Police are allowed to take items that you are not legally allowed to have, such as illegal drugs, or items that may be evidence of an offence. If the police take something that was legally in your possession, they are generally required to return it to you within 3 months. If it is not returned to you, contact the police. The police should show you the warrant, or you can ask to see it. If the Police have a valid warrant, they can use reasonable force to enter your home. If you try to stop a legal search, you can be charged with obstructing the police.
THE POLICE CAN ENTER YOUR HOME WITHOUT A SEARCH WARRANT OR PERMISSION: If there is domestic violence or violence against children reported to the police If they have reasonable grounds to believe that there are drugs, evidence of another offence If they want to prevent someone inside from being seriously injured or killed If they are in a hot Pursuit, for example if they were chasing someone from the scene of a crime If they need to protect the life or safety of someone or an animal inside your home in emergency cases If they need to protect your property from being damaged or stolen
If you are under arrest If they find you in a place where they are searching for drugs or if they believe you have drugs or stolen property If they find you in a vehicle where you are consuming alcohol illegally If they have a reason to believe that you have an illegal weapon 0r one that was used to commit an offence If the police wish to search you for any of the above reasons, you should not try to stop them.
If you have been the victim of a crime, police officers are often the first people you will speak to. They can help you find the help and emotional support you need The police work with the Victim Services of the Ministry of the Attorney General to assist victims of crime If you need help, call the Victim Support Line at: 1-888-579-2888 (toll-free) or search for victim services online
GETTING LEGAL HELP Legal Aid Ontario provides legal assistance for low-income people. To get legal aid services, your legal issue must be one that Legal Aid Ontario covers, and you must be financially eligible. For more information, visit www.legalaid.on.ca or call: Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 Toll-free TTY: 1-866-641-8867 (for deaf people) If Legal Aid Ontario cannot help, they will refer you to somewhere that can (such as Community Legal Services through the faculty of Law at University of Western, Ontario, (519)661-3352)
Call 9-1-1 if it is an emergency, such as: Homicide Person with a weapon / Gun shot Serious injury / serious vehicle accident Police officer in trouble Break and Enter Crime in Progress Robbery Assault Fire or Explosion, etc. Call (519) 661-5670 if it is not an emergency, such as: General information Lost of Recovered Property Unnecessary Noise Traffic Concerns, etc.
WHEN CALLING THE POLICE Police will take some basic information from you, such as your name, address, and phone number. They may also ask for some general information about the crime or situation you are calling about. In some cases, an officer will come to your home or somewhere you feel safe, to get more detailed information. You can get an interpreter to help you. If you want to report a crime but do not want to leave personal information, you can call crime stoppers at: 1-800-222-8477. You do not have to give your name when you call Crime Stoppers. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The OPP serve parts of Ontario that do not have a local police force. Contact Number: 1-888-310-1122 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The RCPM is Canada's national police force. The RCMP enforces federal laws.
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE Ontario Provincial Police (OPP): The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas lacking local police forces. It also provides specialized support to smaller municipal police forces, investigates provincewide and crossjurisdictional crimes, patrols provincial highways (including Ontario's 400-Series Highways) and is responsible for many of the waterways in the province. The OPP serve parts of Ontario that do not have a local police force. Contact Number: 1-888-310-1122
ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): is both a federal and a national police force of Canada. It provides policing services to all of Canada at a federal level.
FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact John Howard Society of London and District at: 601 Queens Avenue, London, ON. N6B 1Y9 www. Jhslondon.on.ca or call: 519-438-4168 Visit CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario) at: www.cleo.on.ca Visit: www.settlement.org Visit London Police Services at: http://police.city.london.on.ca London & Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership: http://immigration.london.ca/lmlip/