Ombudsman mulls new probe after three Ontario police suicides
TORONTO — Ontario’s ombudsman is mulling whether to take another look at how provincial police deal with officers who suffer serious stress on the job and, in some cases, end up killing themselves.
In a statement on Tuesday, Paul Dube said he had directed his staff to assess new complaints and issues related to suicides and operational stress injuries among Ontario Provincial Police officers. Dube said he wanted to see whether a follow-up systemic investigation was warranted.
“As I learned recently of the tragic deaths of three more OPP officers by suicide, I was left wondering whether it was time for my office to follow up on our 2012 systemic investigation,” Dube said.
“We have begun with preliminary research, and encourage people affected by the issue of operational stress injuries in the OPP to come forward with their stories as we lay the groundwork for a possible investigation.”