Thomas Carrique
COM
15th Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police
Assumed office
June 6, 2019
Preceded byVince Hawkes
Deputy Chief of the York Regional Police
In office
March 23, 2011 – June 6, 2019
Personal details
OccupationPolice officer
Police career
Department
RankCommissioner
AwardsPolice Exemplary Service Medal

Thomas W. B. Carrique COM is a Canadian police officer who has been the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police since June 6, 2019. Before joining the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Carrique was a member of the York Regional Police, where he was the deputy chief of police from 2011 to 2019.

Career

York Regional Police

Carrique joined the York Regional Police in 1990. He has worked in the intelligence unit, the drugs and vice enforcement unit, and led the traffic bureau, organized crime unit, and special services unit before being named a deputy chief of police in 2011.[1] He left the York Regional Police in 2019 after 29 years, which he emotionally described as "hardest decision of my life".[2][3]

Ontario Provincial Police

Appointment as Commissioner

Carrique was initially the provincial government's second choice behind Superintendent Ron Taverner of the Toronto Police Service to lead the OPP, however, Taverner withdrew his name from consideration in March 2019 after claims of political interference due to his close relationship with Premier Doug Ford sparked an investigation by the provincial integrity commissioner.[4]

Notable events

In May 2020 Carrique went public with his concerns over a "toxic workplace culture" and the officer suicide problem experienced by the OPP. Between 2012 and 2020, 17 OPP officers committed suicide.[5]

Following the death by gunfire of Constable Marc Hovingh in November 2020, in October 2021 Carrique reached out to a local newspaper to explain how the OPP had improved member wellness since he arrived on the scene.[6]

On March 24, 2022, Carrique testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security that the OPP's intelligence bureau identified a threat associated with the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on February 7, one week before the federal government invoked the Emergencies Act". He stated that the demonstrations constituted a "provincial and national emergency", and that the "situation and the associated events simultaneously taking place across Canada required unprecedented national collaboration to prevent injury, preserve life and protect critical infrastructure."[7]

Awards and honours

Carrique was named a member of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces on January 11, 2013, he was promoted to Officer of the Order of Merit on January 20, 2020, and to Commander on January 12, 2023.[8] On October 21, 2021, he earned a 30 year bar to his Police Exemplary Service Medal.[9]

On November 30, 2021, Carrique received an honour from First Nations leaders for his work following National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.[10][11]

Family

Carrique's son Danny serves in the South Simcoe Police Service,[2] and his daughter is a crime analyst. He was inspired to become a police officer by his father, who was an auxiliary officer with the Toronto Police Service.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Carrique named deputy chief". MuskokaRegion.com. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  2. 1 2 "Thomas Carrique sworn in as new OPP commissioner". CBC. 6 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "Emotional Thomas Carrique discusses appointment as OPP commissioner | Watch News Videos Online". Global News. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  4. ↑ "Doug Ford didn't breach rules in Taverner appointment, integrity commissioner says". CBC. 20 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Freeze, Colin (2020-03-10). "Head of Ontario police asks for government help to deal with officer suicides and toxic workplace culture". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Lori (6 October 2021). "Member wellness a priority for OPP, multiple and ongoing supports offered". Manitoulin Publishing Company Ltd. Manitoulin Expositor.
  7. ↑ "Convoy protest was a national security threat, Ontario police boss says". Victoria Times Colonist. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  8. ↑ Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. "Commissioner Thomas W. B. Carrique". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  9. ↑ "OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique Presented Police Exemplary Service Award 30yr Service Bar". OPP Association. YouTube. 21 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Sound, Donna; Vasquez-Peddie, Anthony (5 December 2021). "OPP commissioner receives rare Indigenous honour". CTV News.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Rob (30 November 2021). "First Nations leaders honour OPP commissioner with eagle feathers in Orillia". Bell Media. CTV News.
  12. ↑ "My Story: OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique".
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