The head of the Toronto Police Service’s new counterterrorism squad says that local police forces have a crucial role to play in pre-empting, investigating and enhancing prosecutions around crimes hatched by extremists.
While terrorism investigations typically fall under the RCMP’s federal policing mandate, Toronto Police last month announced the new unit as part of its response to violence linked to the Middle East conflict. Canada’s largest city is grappling with an increase in alleged hate crimes and extremist violence, which include shootings targeting Jewish schools, synagogues sites and businesses, as well as bullets fired last month at the U.S. consulate.
