OPP Oath of Office

I solemnly affirm that I will be loyal to Her Majesty the Queen and to Canada, and that I will uphold the Constitution of Canada and that I will, to the best of my ability, preserve the peace, prevent offences and discharge my other duties as a Commissioned Officer, faithfully, impartially and according to law.

CHARTER OF RIGHTS

LEGAL RIGHTS

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

EQUALITY RIGHTS

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

All democratic societies in the world rely on each officer's committment to their Constitutions and Freedoms over their obligation to follow orders. Clearly an officer's committment to one's Country and to people's Freedoms cannot be overruled by their superiors' orders. Democratic societies rely on the court system to ensure Freedoms but also their policing agencies. Such reliance is not solely in the hands of a few senior officers who can quickly overrule people's freedoms but also on the individual officer's committtment to democracy over blind obedience to orders.

Any order by a superior that authorizes an officer to stand by while a person's life, liberty and security of person is violated is not a lawful order. Any order by a superior that authorizes racial profiling which benefits any group or discriminates against any group is not a lawful order.

Human history is filled with policing agencies that have been willing to follow orders over people's rights to life, liberty and security of person. At each point in history these policing agencies can always find reasons to justify their actions, to explain why what they are doing is a benefit to the society as a whole.

The OPP may try to explain their actions as somehow protecting society from a greater harm or a greater danger but that is not for them to decide nor can any government authorize the violation of people's rights.

Any officer who has obeyed orders over the Charter of Rights is an officer who knowingly or not has taken part in the destruction of a Free Society. Any officer who is able to morally stand by while seniors are attacked are people who could stand by and watch anything.

What other conclusion could anyone draw from the fact that offiicers stood by while fellow officers were attacked and almost murdered. If they could watch while one of their own could be murdered then could they not stand by and watch a Canadian Citizen be murdered?

Any police force that would follow orders to such a degree is one that should be disbanded.