WRPS officers to help in Ottawa's ongoing police operations

Ontario Provincial Police officers walk in front of the ongoing trucker blockade protest in Ottawa, Feb. 17, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Waterloo regional p​olice officers will be heading to the nation's capital as early as Friday to assist with the ongoing protests in that city’s core.

“We have had a full-time Staff Sgt. assigned to the Ottawa Police Service this week assisting with the integrated planning and have continued to assess and support provincial operations related to the ongoing occupation and protests,” said Cherri Greeno, the manager of corporate communications and public information at WRPS, in an email statement. "Today, the Chief of Police authorized additional officers to support the Ottawa Police Service’s ongoing operations."

The officers are expected to be deployed from Feb. 18 to Feb. 23.

Greeno added officers are continuing to assist with the situation in Windsor.

Last Friday, the premier declared a State of Emergency due to ongoing protests and blockades across Ontario.

In a statement issued at the time, police chief Bryan Larkin stated “the Waterloo Regional Police Service has received emergency resource requests from the Ontario Provincial Police to mobilize members of our Public Safety Team (PST) to assist police services in need of support.”