‘Threat to public safety’ prompts push for bail reform from police in Mississauga, Brampton
Published April 29, 2024 at 10:27 am
Citing concerns for public safety given a dramatic rise in violent carjackings and other serious crimes in Mississauga, Brampton and across Canada, police in Peel are again pushing Ottawa for significant bail reform.
A recent letter sent by the Peel Police Service Board to Arif Virani, federal minister of justice and attorney general, emphasizes “the urgent need for systemic changes amidst rising incidents of auto thefts and other serious crimes in Peel and across Canada.”
The correspondence, which outlines the board’s “escalating public safety concerns,” marks a continued effort to get the federal government’s attention on the matter. In a February 2023 letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, police officials in Mississauga and Brampton similarly pleaded for help in keeping high-risk, violent offenders off the streets.
In a news release, board officials said on Monday their latest letter details “distressing trends.” It cites the case of Darian Henderson-Bellman, who was murdered four years ago in Brampton, and other cases as examples where offenders, repeatedly granted bail, continue committing violent crimes.
“These cases underscore the Peel Police Service Board’s concern over the low detention rates in firearms-related bail hearings and the exploitation of bail provisions by offenders,” board officials said.
“We respect the constitutional rights concerning bail, but our current system requires immediate recalibration to prioritize community safety and prevent further victimization,” added board chair Nando Iannicca, also chair of the Region of Peel. “The ongoing cycle of crime under the existing bail conditions is not only a threat to public safety, but also erodes trust in our legal framework.”
Videos
The board said it seeks to work with Peel Regional Police and provincial and federal levels of government “to introduce legislative-, policy- and resource-based reforms” in an effort to correct deficiencies in the current bail system.
“The safety of our community cannot remain secondary to procedural limitations. We need a bail system that reflects the realities of today’s challenges, particularly with the rise in serious offenses such as auto thefts, which have become a significant issue in Peel,” added Iannicca.
The board’s plea with Ottawa in February 2023 came in the wake of an attempted armed break-in at a Mississauga business only days earlier. Two of four people charged in that incident had failed to adhere to bail conditions previously imposed on them.
Police officials in Peel argued at that time that throughout the years the region and its residents have seen high-risk, violent offenders released back into the community as they “await their trials for extended periods due to backlogs in the criminal justice system.”
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising