Toronto police say they were not given enough time to prepare for last summer's G20 summit, leaving forces overwhelmed by the size and scope of protests throughout the downtown core.
The admission was made in a 70-page report released by police Thursday evening.
In it, the police service admits it was "overwhelmed" by the intensity of the "sustained, serious and widespread criminality and public disorder."
The G20 summit was held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 26-27, 2010.
Toronto police were widely criticized by residents and civil rights groups in the wake of the summit, during which 1,118 people were arrested. The majority of those people were released without being charged, or had charges dropped in the wake of the summit.
The report, written by senior officers and civilians, recounts the events of the week while recommending a number of changes to how police handle large demonstrations and aggressive protesters.
"The policing challenges of facilitating those very large, lawful, peaceful protests while, at the same time, arresting those who chose violence and destruction, were immense," Chief Bill Blair wrote in the report's introduction.
"Many things we did very well. Some things we did not."
The report suggests the Toronto Police Service was not given enough time to prepare for the event. While previous G20 summits have had two years to prepare, the report said Toronto was only given six months to prepare for the "largest security event in Canadian history."
Despite acknowledging the occasional shortcomings, the report concludes that Toronto police successfully ensured the safety and security of the G8 and G20 summits delegations.
At no point was security breached at any of the G20 summit sites, it also states.
The report outlines how police responded to aggressive protesters – known as Black Bloc members – intent on causing damage. A total of six police cruisers were destroyed and millions of dollars worth of damage was caused to downtown businesses during the protests. The report states that the POU (Public Order Unit) needed to develop proactive strategies to use when faced with aggressive or Black Bloc tactics.
According to the report, "radical elements" broke free from downtown protests and began destroying property, leaving police forces unprepared to deal with the magnitude of the destruction.
The report found that there were too few riot police ready to respond to the attacks, and some officers who were not properly trained in riot policing were forced to step in.
Policing efforts were further hindered by poor communication, caused at least partially by radio frequencies that were overrun by too many reports at once.
Toronto police were also criticized for a poorly managed detention centre. Detainees complained of cramped conditions, little food and poorly-handled medical concerns.
The report said that a communication breakdown left the detention centre without a proper tracking system, meaning there was little oversight into how long a person had been detained.
The report suggested Toronto police limit further use of the controversial "kettling" technique, in which officers surrounded demonstrators from all sides without leaving an exit route.
"Persons not involved in the event must have both a route of egress from and the opportunity to leave the affected area. Containment tactics should be modified to include specific direction as to when they are to be used," the report states.
With files from The Canadian Press
