The Ontario government has called for an investigation into complaints of alleged misconduct by senior members of Durham Regional Police Service.

The minister of community safety and correctional services recently referred the allegations to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, which has started a preliminary review. The police oversight agency will then determine if a full-fledged investigation is warranted.

“Everyone in Ontario has the right to effective police services, and to effective local governance of those police services,” said a spokesperson for the ministry.

The minister, Sylvia Jones, was unavailable to comment on the nature of the allegations, the spokesperson said. The Star has learned that multiple Durham police employees, both current and former, filed complaints to the ministry concerning the conduct of police brass.

The minister also asked the commission to probe “concerns about governance by the Durham Regional Police Services Board,” the spokesperson said.

In a statement to the Star, a lawyer representing senior Durham police officials said, “The Durham Regional Police Service will co-operate fully with the Commission’s preliminary review, and with its investigation if it determines to conduct one.”

Kevin Ashe, chair of the Durham police board, said the complaint that fuelled the commission’s review has not been shared with board.

“The board will not be making any further comment until the preliminary review by the (Ontario Civilian Police Commission) is complete,” he said.

The commission notified the board of its review in a letter dated Feb. 13. In it, the commission’s registrar said the review will “determine which senior officers and board members, if any, should be subject to (an) … investigation into their individual conduct and/or performance of duties.”

The review, the registrar’s letter noted, will also determine whether an investigation is needed to “identify any potential systemic issues.”

The complaints are the latest controversy for the police force. Last year, members of the Durham police association passed a vote of non-confidence in Chief Paul Martin, and a membership survey conducted by a polling firm found widespread dissatisfaction among the rank and file.

Roughly 70 per cent of survey respondents reported experiencing at least one instance of harassment or bullying over the previous three years. Just three in 10 employees felt senior management treated them with respect and fairness, according to the poll, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

In a statement given at the time to Oshawa This Week, Martin said he took the survey results seriously.

“I respect the issues and concerns that have been brought forward in the survey and will work with my leadership team over the next few weeks to analyze the results in greater detail,” Martin said. “We need to better understand some of the root causes of the dissatisfaction and clear up any misunderstandings about the work being done.”

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A spokesperson for the civilian police commission said it cannot estimate when the review will be completed but said the agency “is continuing to make progress.”

In December, the commission dissolved the Thunder Bay Police Services Board and replaced it with an administrator following a scathing report that found the board failed to “recognize and address the clear and indisputable pattern of violence and systemic racism against Indigenous people in Thunder Bay.”