News & Publications

OIPRD Invites Submissions for Police Strip Search Review

The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) is inviting written submissions for its systemic review of Ontario police services’ policies and practices for conducting strip searches of people arrested or otherwise detained.

In R. v. Golden, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that strip searches are a significant infringement of a person’s privacy and personal dignity. Strip searches are justified only in unusual circumstances and must be conducted in a manner that does not violate a person’s rights under the Charter.

The OIPRD is interested in hearing from individuals and organizations with expertise and interest in the issues around strip searches, including:

• Police policies, documentation and training that should be in place to ensure strip searches occur only when justified
• Whether some groups are more vulnerable to strip searches and if so, what policies and training would best address these issues
• Lived experience of strip searches

Written submissions should include the name of the organization or person delivering the submission, along with reasons for their interest in the issues of the OIPRD’s systemic review of police practices for conducting strip searches. The OIPRD requests written submissions by April 14, 2017. Submissions may be emailed to OIPRD@ontario.ca or mailed to:

Office of the Independent Police Review Director
Police Practices for Strip Searches Systemic Review
655 Bay Street, 10th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 2T4

POLICE STRIP SEARCH SYSTEMIC REVIEW TERMS OF REFERENCE

The systemic review is examining the following:

• The prevalence of strip searches incidental to police arrest or detention
• Existing policies of police services across Ontario, as they relate to when and how strip searches are to be conducted
• The extent to which front-line officers are aware of existing policies, and how, if at all, compliance with existing policies is monitored and supported
• The extent to which strip search decisions are documented
• The extent to which judicial findings of improper strip searches are identified by the relevant police services, and addressed
• Ontario Police College and police services training provided to supervisors and front-line officers regarding strip searches

A final report summarizing the findings of the review and outlining recommendations and advice for the overall improvement of police practices will be released publicly.