The Institute for Strategic International Studies (ISIS) 2008 Opening Remarks by Deputy Director General Steven Chabot President Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police February 25, 2008
DAF 18.02.2008
Good morning, and welcome to the 2008 Program of the Institute for Strategic International Studies. This Program is going to be an exciting event in your professional lives, and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police is proud to be able to offer you this opportunity. *** Let me begin with a little context and background to the Program. You might ask yourself, “Why does a national association undertake such ambitious work at an international level, especially when we have many policing issues and unresolved challenges at home?”. Well, the question provides the answer: Canada is part of the international community. Policing in Canada is part of the global context of the safety and security of our respective populations. What we do here, how we do it, and why, all have an impact • • • on our working relationships with police elsewhere, on our country’s relationships with other countries, and on the perceptions of Canada held by people abroad.
Police in other countries have experience in dealing with community safety and security problems that are on the horizon for us. On the other hand, our solid policing tradition is envied and emulated by many other countries throughout the world. We are part of the world-wide profession whose role is recognized as a key element for emerging democracies and countries struggling to attain civil stability. Our Association made the decision to sponsor a comprehensive international work study Program under the Presidency of Chief Larry Gravill, who very recently retired from the Waterloo Regional Police Service. From the outset the Program was designed to introduce up-and-coming police leaders to big policing issues. The aim was to stimulate their desire to seek perspectives and solutions outside their own range of experiences and knowledge. Those who have participated all say that the Program has exceeded their expectations. They have each found it an unforgettable professional highlight and an experience that continues to enrich them.
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This programme continues today, providing younger police leaders with a unique opportunity for professional development in the truest sense. You are now part of a tradition. *** Having placed a marker on the past, let me also point out that you are pioneers. In the coming months you have a unique opportunity to set foot into policing and public safety topics not yet explored to satisfaction. You will work with exceptional colleagues from police services across Canada. You will have the privilege, and you will be expected, to take yourself beyond the confines of your agency uniform and into the realm of big-picture thinking. As part of the tradition, the objectives and format of each ISIS Program are the same: • • • • • • It is designed as an experiential learning medium. It combines workshops and seminars, travel and field study, and independent study throughout the Program. A final report is prepared for the CACP Executive and Board of Directors. There will be an opportunity to present the Program findings to the CACP membership. Participants’ learning outcomes are mapped using accepted competency models for police leadership in Canada. Prior knowledge is a requirement, based not only on policing but also on other executive development courses.
Despite these standard objectives and approaches, each international Program is different. In 2003 the participants in the CACP’s International Best Practices Research Project conducted investigations into • • • • • • trans-national organized crime, counter-terrorism, diversity practices, emerging crime trends, multi-jurisdictional policing models, and technology-based crime prevention.
Observations in each of these areas were identified as trends, which were then interpreted for their application to Canada. 3
In 2006 the CACP Board of Directors asked the ISIS participants to turn their minds to the number one priority of the Association: a national framework for policing in Canada. We challenged them to identify what they had learned that would significantly advance our collective understanding of a policing model for Canada—one that is affordable, sustainable, accountable and ethical. The entire ISIS group focused on this one question. They brought forth recommendations for the Association on the development and adoption of a national policing strategy, built by police leaders and based upon a system of national standards of police service delivery. This year, you will study a number of topics that are highly relevant to policing as we know it in Canada today and as we look into the future. One of these topics is priorities within the criminal justice system, in which policing is the first point of contact. This has been a major theme for the CACP in recent years. You will discuss approaches to adequacy standards, performance management and audit, all of which are tied to the critical issues of accountability, transparency, and public confidence. By visiting other organizations that have experienced planned or unexpected change, you will be able to examine organizational change models and methods that may be applicable to Canada. The question of systems design, to meet operational policing and other needs, will be on your agenda. And all of these topics will be studied with attention to current trends and issues related to demographics, society, the economy and politics. *** The ISIS program for 2008 encourages you to take your thinking beyond what you know. You will have to proceed at a demanding pace. The momentum of the Program must be sustained and your work completed within the allotted timeframe.
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I encourage you to use your intellect, to bring your knowledge and expertise to these issues. We promise you a challenging few months ahead. It will be a time for you to value the rich content of the Program, and the relationships that you will build as you work and study. You are on the cusp of an exciting learning experience, and you are in the position to bring your findings to the broader community of police leaders. As a community of police leaders, our Association is committed to its mandate of leading progressive change in policing. We are highly aware that when we speak, it is not for the benefit of Canadian chiefs of police and senior executives, but for Canadians. We are the trusted voice of policing and community safety. We use this voice carefully when speaking to governments, our communities and our stakeholders. And in this role we have the responsibility to put the public good before our individual organizational interests. This is what professionalism is all about. You, therefore, are in a position to influence the shape of policing in the future in Canada. Many eyes will be on you and your work during this program— • your own police agency, • the Association, • the alumni of previous international programs sponsored by the CACP, and • many police colleagues who are not here and wish they were. Enjoy it, and we look forward to hearing the results of your work.
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