Should Toronto Police Be Allowed to Play Judge, Jury, and Jail Warden? Don’t We Need Courts?

The story begins on July 2, 2021, just after midnight, in the underground car park at Toronto City Hall. Two officers from the Toronto Police Service (TPS), Detective Constable Jeffrey Northrup and his partner, then-Detective Constable Lisa Forbes, were responding to reports of a stabbing nearby. They were in plain clothes. Typically, police officers assigned to work out of uniform do not respond to emergency calls; their main purpose is to blend in for surveillance and undercover operations. This detail becomes crucial in this case.

The officers had a description of the suspect: a brown, heavyset individual with a long beard and long hair. They quickly identified the ‘suspect.’ However, there was one significant issue: of the four identifiers, the individual they approached had only one in common with the description—he was brown. Nonetheless, acting as if they were the ultimate authority, they approached the suspect’s vehicle and instructed him to turn off the engine and exit. Inside the vehicle were the suspect’s pregnant wife and a toddler.

The suspect’s name was Umar Zameer, a Muslim immigrant to Canada.

Imagine the scene: it’s past midnight in a deserted underground car park. Zameer is in the car with his pregnant spouse and child. As he slides into the driver’s seat, he sees two individuals rushing towards him from the far end of the parking area, shouting and dressed in civilian clothing. Zameer did not indicate that these two were police officers. In that fleeting moment, he perceived that criminals were attacking him and his family. In a state of fear, with an unmarked van with tinted windows blocking his path, he instinctively attempted to escape. Driving in blind panic, focused solely on survival, he reversed and swerved to get away. Unbeknownst to him, one of the detectives, Northrup, had been knocked to the ground during the altercation, and as Zameer tried to flee, the officer was run over and later died.

Zameer was immediately arrested on charges of murder.

However, after a lengthy trial, on April 21, 2024, a jury found Zameer not guilty. The jury did, however, find the ‘eyewitnesses’—fellow officers of the deceased Northrup—guilty of colluding and falsifying their testimony to frame Zameer for murder.

Court Findings in Zameer’s Favor: 

1.   The court determined that the police should never have blocked Zameer from driving away that night.
2.   Detective Forbes admitted that there was no legal basis for an arrest or detention under those circumstances.
3.   Most importantly, Zameer did not match the suspect’s description in any significant way. Without reasonable suspicion or cause, he was not obligated to remain on the scene to answer any police questions.
4.   There was no way a normal citizen could recognize two shouting figures in ordinary clothes as police officers.
5.   It would have been safer for the officers to rely on underground video surveillance, note Zameer’s license plate, and conduct a follow-up investigation.
6.   The testimony provided by the officers at the scene was inaccurate. The trial revealed that they wrote their notes about the incident at the same time, in the same room, roughly one month after Northrup’s death. Police guidelines require officers to document incidents independently.
7.   The officers’ claims that Northrup was standing in the path of Zameer’s vehicle with his hands outstretched when he was run over were contradicted by security camera footage and accident reconstruction experts.
8.   Trial Judge Justice Anne M. Molloy instructed the jurors to consider the possibility of collusion among the officers, noting the implausibility of all three being wrong in the same way.

Zameer walked free after three years of trauma. However, if we believe that this happy ending marks the true conclusion of his story, we would be mistaken.

After being admonished by the sitting judge for their dishonesty, Toronto Police Service Chief Myron Demkiw initiated a “full internal review” of the case in 2024. A process that Nader Hasan, Zameer’s lawyer, dismissed as a charade. “TPS could have conducted a truly independent public review, yet they chose to have their misconduct evaluated by another police agency,” he stated, highlighting that the history of police forces investigating one another is “not good.”

Hasan’s concerns proved justified. The report released by TPS on March 17, 2026, concluded that the officers were “truthful” and that their testimony was accurate. What followed has been a series of events that challenge one’s belief in the rule of law and the independence of our judiciary.

Here are some reactions following the report’s release: 

–            TPS Chief Myron Demkiw: “The OPP found no evidence our officers lied. Our report ‘vindicates‘ them.”

–            Toronto Police Association President Clayton Campbell: “Justice Anne Molloy should apologize to the officers.”

–            Ontario Premier Doug Ford: “Justice Molloy should apologize. This is the first step.”

Several important questions arise from this situation:

–            Why was this case, criticized by Justices Jill Copeland and Molloy as “shaky” and “weak,” with an “implausible motive,” brought to trial in the first place?

–            Shouldn’t there be an investigation to determine whether the police pressured the Crown’s office to proceed with a murder trial based on evidence that ultimately fell apart?

–            Who determines if a person charged with a crime is guilty: the court or the police?

–            What is the purpose of courts if the police have already deemed a case proven beyond a reasonable doubt? Imagine the savings we could achieve.

–            Is it time to reconsider Canada’s judicial system, disband our courts, and allow police to act as judge, jury, and jailer?

–            Which evidence is more reliable and truthful: the evidence presented to the jury that found Zameer innocent, or the conclusions drawn by the OPP behind closed doors to declare their detectives innocent?

–            In the interest of closure and to resolve any lingering doubts, shouldn’t the court invite the OPP and TPS to present the evidence they used to assert their officers’ truthfulness in a jury trial?

–            Should there be legislation preventing politicians and government officials from attacking members of the judiciary whenever a court decision goes against their personal views? Statements by Doug Ford, then Toronto Mayor John Tory, and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, condemning Justice Copeland’s 2021 decision to grant Zameer bail, all implied guilt.

We understand that the scars of such trauma run deep. We pray that Allah SWT blesses Brother Zameer and his young family with the strength and patience to move past this painful chapter in their lives. Aameen. Here’s wishing them a warm and heartfelt Eid Mubarak! May the Almighty keep His ummah safe from dhulm and oppression on this earth. Aameen.

In closing, this case has raised significant questions about police authority and accountability in emergency situations. Let’s hope this is a learning experience for all concerned.

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