Toronto police officers can file criminal charges electronically starting next week, Ontario government says

A logo at the Toronto Police Services headquarters, in Toronto, on Friday, August 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

A new digital platform will allow police officers in Toronto to file criminal charges electronically starting next week, effectively putting an end to paperwork and other outdated processes.

The Ontario government said that the eIntake service will be available in all courthouses across the city as of Dec. 7 following successful launches of the tool in other regions of the province.

“The expansion of this platform enables faster, digitized data sharing between the police and courts in Toronto,” Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said in a news release issued Thursday.

The government said that the launch of the platform will allow police to spend more time fighting crime.

As of next Tuesday, justices of the peace will also be able to enter their decisions electronically and request additional information from police online.

“Improving the digital tools and information accessible to Ontario's police, prosecutors and justice partners is critical to bringing offenders to justice and keeping communities safe,” Attorney General Doug Downey said.

By the summer of 2022, the provincial government hopes that the service will be available to police across Ontario.

Nearly 34,000 charging documents have already been received by eIntake since the application was launched in Barrie, Orillia, and several other regions in Ontario, the province said.