Policing the Pandemic: Tracking the Policing of Covid-19 across Canada

Abstract

The Policing the Pandemic Mapping Project was launchedon 4 April, 2020 to track and visualize these massive andextraordinary expansions of police power and the unequalpatterns of enforcement they are likely to produce. In doingso, we hope that we can bring to light patterns of policeintervention, to help understand who is being targeted, whatjustifications are being used by police, and how marginalizedpeople are being impacted. More broadly, we hope theproject will inform a larger conversation about the role ofpolicing in society, to scrutinize public health and policecollaboration, and to focus attention toward the harms ofcriminalization. Having an understanding of these patterns incoming weeks will help inform approaches to actively resistthe logic and practices of policing crisis and disease, ratherthan allow them to become widespread and normalized.Through the acts of identifying, reporting, and visualizingevents related to the policing of COVID-19, the projectoffers a living repository of publicly accessible data that canbe used by activists, academics, journalists, and communitymembers to analyze, discuss, and challenge the policing ofdisease. We encourage all people to use the data availablethrough this project in any way they wish.

Pandemic policing: Highlighting the need for trauma-informed services during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis

“…The critical role of the police in ensuring community safety and well-being must be maintained. At this time there is fear of police abuses of power and disproportionate policing of marginalized populations, with the increased police powers as a result of the pandemic (Luscombe & McClelland, 2020). This is in part because, as the COVID-19 pandemic hits communities, it impacts the marginalized and vulnerable at greater rates than any other demographic (Luscombe & McClelland, 2020).…”

“…At this time there is fear of police abuses of power and disproportionate policing of marginalized populations, with the increased police powers as a result of the pandemic (Luscombe & McClelland, 2020). This is in part because, as the COVID-19 pandemic hits communities, it impacts the marginalized and vulnerable at greater rates than any other demographic (Luscombe & McClelland, 2020). The need for trauma-informed policing therefore becomes highlighted, as does the necessity for alternatives to incarceration.…”

Policing in the Covid-19 Situation in Indonesia

“…In this critical situation, various adjustments to policing practices with efforts to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 have led to shifts of the type of policing application. It is a critical point of policing, as is the case in all countries facing the problem of the spread of Covid-19 (Luscombe & Mcclelland, 2020;Stott et al, 2020). Therefore, in this situation, the policies issued and how they are implemented are the key to the successful implementation of police duties and functions.…”

COVID‐19, public health, and the politics of prevention

“…Third, the extended duration of COVID‐19 has amplified an important dimension of the politics of prevention – the challenge of balancing public health restrictions and their enforcement with respect for civil liberties and individual freedoms. As public health and government officials have proceeded with their response to the pandemic, Ontario has seen a ratcheting up of activities designed to ‘police the pandemic’ that raises questions about the proportionality and necessity of the suspension of civil liberties (Luscombe and McClelland 2020). The declaration of a state of emergency helped to transform public health guidance into legal orders ‘with penalties for non‐compliance’ and expanded the powers of police and by‐law officers (Canadian Civil Liberties Association 2020: 4).…”