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Indo-Canadian among 7 cops held, charged over alleged organised crime, graft
Three officers and one retired officer have been charged with offences related to unlawful queries and the distribution of confidential, personal information.
Toronto: A months-long investigation related to organised crime and corruption has led to the arrest of seven Canadian police officers including an Indo-Canadian sergeant.
The investigation dubbed Project South was undertaken by York Regional Police (YRP). It started “after police uncovered and stopped a conspiracy to commit murder at a home in York Region,” a YRP release issued on Thursday said.
On June 20 last year, three suspects were arrested after a vehicle they were using collided with a police cruiser stationed at a residence.
According to investigators, a Toronto Police Constable Timothy Barnhardt had allegedly “unlawfully accessed a police database, performing a query that produced confidential information”.
Investigations suggested this was part of a pattern and those involved were officers of the Toronto Police Service (TPS). “In multiple cases, investigators determined the addresses returned by the unlawful queries were later the location of criminal incidents, including an extortion, commercial robberies and shootings,” the release stated. The information was shared with individuals who police believe were “known to various criminal networks”.
Overall, three officers and one retired officer have been charged with offences related to unlawful queries and the distribution of confidential, personal information. Four officers face bribery charges in connection with an operation, that linked back to weapon used in at least eight shootings across southern Ontario.
Some officers also face charges related to the trafficking of cocaine, and theft of personal property, which included drivers’ licences, health cards, passports and credit cards.
Other than Barnhardt, other officers charged include 38-year-old Toronto Police Service sergeant Saurabjit Bedi, among others.
As many as 19 others were arrested and charged with various offences connected to the investigation, though they are not police officers, including another Indo-Canadian Daljit Singh, 32, a resident of Milton, also in Ontario.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
“Corruption has no place in policing — it is never, and will never, be tolerated,” YRP chief Jim MacSween stated, adding, “This investigation also underscores the insidious, corrosive nature of organised crime, and highlights how these criminals find a way to infiltrate even the most well protected institutions across our society.”
“We understand this news is deeply disappointing for Torontonians and our members,” Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw said.
“We have left no stone unturned. These are serious allegations and I can assure Torontonians they will be met with an equally serious response from our Service,” he added.
