The supervisor for the Walpole Island police department has been placed on administrative leave amid an independent review of the police service.
The Walpole Island First Nation Chief and Council have announced that the supervisor, whose name has not been released, was placed on paid leave after concerns were raised regarding “administrative and operational matters” within the Walpole Island Police Service.
To ensure a fair and impartial process, a review of the First Nations police service will be conducted independently.
These concerns come just over a month after members of the Walpole Island First Nation Council said the community’s police service had begun transitioning from the Ontario First Nations Policing Agreement, currently administered by the Ontario Provincial Police, to their own self-administered police service.
“Chief and Council have a responsibility to ensure that our policing services operate with transparency, accountability, and in the best interests of the community,” the chief and council said in a statement. “This decision has been made to protect the integrity of the review process and to maintain public confidence during this period.”
Policing services are expected to be maintained during the review, and no further information will be released regarding the review until its conclusion.
