A QUESTION OF TRUST

Once again, the Toronto Police Services Board, which is supposed to be the civilian watchdog for dealings of the Toronto police force, is proving itself to be a toothless animal.

On Thursday, the board bowed to pressure from chief Julian Fantino and decided against calling for an independent, outside investigation into the scandal-ridden Toronto force.

"The public should have confidence," board chairman Alan Heisey said after the agency decided to do nothing -- for now -- about the series of revelations that have rocked the force and shaken public trust.

"I think the board has acted decisively," Heisey added.

Clearly, though, it hasn't.

Since January, Fantino has been defending his department's handling of the current scandals, which include officers facing charges of corrupt practices and insubordination because of dealings with a convicted thief and drug addict.  Other scandals involve charges of police shakedowns of bar owners and of a theft ring led by drug squad officers.

And on Thursday, the RCMP revealed that for the last three years it has been probing organized crime links to some Toronto police officers.

Fantino and the RCMP argued with the police services board that there was no need for outside investigators because the RCMP was already on the scene and that a third force might disrupt the current probes.

What's really true is that the RCMP is looking at just one part of the mess that now plagues the Toronto force.

That's why it is even more urgent than ever that a sweeping independent investigation be launched immediately to probe all charges of misconduct in the force.

At the same time, outside experts should be brought in to study whether the force has the right oversight systems in place and whether it is following "best practices" used in big city forces elsewhere in the world.

Heisey and the other board members need to realize that public trust in the force is at risk.

That trust will never be fully restored if the only people conducting an overall assessment of the force are the Toronto police themselves.