London police chief’s apology missing key elements: experts
Global News
A southwestern Ontario police chief's apology this week lacked key elements needed to demonstrate full accountability and rebuild trust, experts say.
A southwestern Ontario police chief’s apology this week for the time it took to lay sexual assault charges against five professional hockey players marked an important step in acknowledging harm but lacked key elements needed to demonstrate full accountability and rebuild trust, experts say.
In a news conference that drew national attention Monday, London, Ont., police Chief Thai Truong apologized to a complainant and her family on behalf of the force for taking nearly six years to charge five then-members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team.
But the chief repeatedly declined to explain why the case was initially closed without charges in 2019, or what prompted the review that led investigators to reopen it in 2022, citing the ongoing court case. Truong said there would be a time when he could provide more information, adding he was “confident” such a situation wouldn’t happen again.
None of the allegations against the players have been tested in court. All five have said, through their lawyers, that they will defend themselves against the allegations.
The office of the London police chief did not immediately provide comment.
The chief did well to acknowledge the delay and that the harm it caused goes “far beyond” the complainant, and appeared sincere in expressing his regret, said Shannon Moore, a professor at Brock University whose research focuses on restorative justice and trauma-informed policy, practice and pedagogy.
However, “there are many more pieces that are needed” in order to help repair some of the harm done, she said.
An effective apology needs to reflect the “whole truth of the harm caused,” and that goes beyond just the time it took to lay charges, Moore said. “It’s also what happened to just lead to this delay – what actions weren’t taken, which actions were taken.”
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