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In the wake of a London Free Press series about a police sergeant’s assault of a woman, London police Chief Steve Williams has promised new rules requiring officers to report their colleagues’ misconduct.

The rules will include protection for whistleblowers and be backed up by regular training, Williams said at a police services board meeting Thursday.

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Police have stepped up de-escalation training since the incident, and plan a training session for officers soon on police culture, Williams said.

London police also will hold a public session in the fall to explain how the complaints and disciplinary system works, and will review what information police brass provide to the police services board about disciplinary decisions, Williams said.

The chair and vice-chair of the police services board also promised Thursday they would review the board’s own policies and responsibilities about the discipline of police officers.

“I am confident we will do better, and there’s more work to be done,” board chair Mo Salih said.

The Free Press series, called We are the cops, examines the assault of a woman in the police station Sept. 6, 2016, and the aftermath. Women’s advocates Thursday expressed anger about the assault and its handling by police. Anova, a women’s shelter and counselling agency, noted police brass days ago took part in the agency’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event to raise money and awareness of violence against women.

“I understand that there are concerns about that incident (the assault) and there are also questions about the process by which it was handled,” Williams said at the board meeting.

“The treatment of this individual, the citizen who we had in our custody, was deplorable. To say it fell short of standards would be an understatement.”