Dubai trip provided crucial training, networking for police, chief's letter says
CBC
London Police Chief Thai Truong said he wasn't aware that an international swat team competition held in Dubai and attended by London police's emergency response unit (ERU) included competitors from the Chechen Republic and Belarus.
In a letter appearing on the agenda of Thursday's meeting of the Police Services Board (PSB), Truong justifies London's participation in this year's UAE SWAT Challenge as a chance to train and network for the force's officers, who are called in to deal with the most high-risk situations.
The letter also promises a more vigorous vetting process before London police participate in future training events.
"A comprehensive review of our decision-making processes is currently in progress," Truong's letter said. He said the vetting process for future trips will be held to "ensure our actions align with the values of our community."
The force was criticized for taking part in the 11-day event, which started on Feb.1 as city council debated a controversial and historically high police budget increase. London's budget was eventually approved with the police getting all of their requested $672 million budget. The increase in police spending was a key factor pushing up the 2024 property tax increase to 8.7 per cent.
In response to the criticism last month, PSB Chair Ali Chahbar issued a statement on the board's behalf. It called on the force to "provide specific financial and procedural considerations" to the board about the Dubai trip and provide details to the PSB how future training trips are approved.
Truong's letter coming to PSB on Thursday doesn't mention money. However in prior interviews with CBC News, he said the trip cost the force $15,700 after they were originally quoted $115,000 to compete. London sent 11 officers to the competition, which was hosted by the Dubai police.
Aside from the cost, London's force faced criticism for attending an event with participants that included police forces with questionable human rights records.
These included the Akhmat unit from the Russian republic of Chechnya, a group that's been accused of committing atrocities in the conflict with Ukraine.
In his letter, Truong said he didn't know teams from the Chechen Republic and Belarus would be among the competitors.
"The information was not known during our decision-making and approval process," he wrote. "Recognizing the significance of transparency and accountability we find it necessary to address this discovery and its wider implications."
Truong's letter also lists benefits of the 11-day trip to the ERU members including training, competing and networking with tactical forces from other countries. The letter also says: "At no time did ERU members interact with Chechen Republic or Belorussian teams."
The specific training benefits to officers mentioned in the letter include training in shooting under stress, extensive networking, joint training with other forces and having London's force influence other teams, such as helping the Royal Bahamas Police Force's team with their rappel training.
Truong's letter also lists "personal growth" for officers a benefit of the trip.
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