Mayor John Tory is calling for an external review of the way the Toronto Police Service handles missing persons reports in the wake of the Bruce McArthur case.

In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Tory said that he continues to be “deeply disturbed” by the revelations that have come to light so far about the “murders and disappearances of Toronto residents and members of our LGBTQ community.”

He said that in order to “ensure that absolutely no questions are left unanswered” he plans to ask that an external review be conducted into “the Toronto Police Service’s practices with respect to missing person's investigations.”

He also said that he will ask the province to consider holding a public inquiry at the conclusion of the criminal proceedings against McArthur.

In December, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders did announce an internal review of the way police handle missing persons reports following criticism about the response to four such cases, two of which have since led to the filing of murder charges against McArthur.

“I know that the public has many questions related to this case, and I have questions, too,” Tory said in his statement, noting that he plans to move a motion at the next meeting of the TPS board. “That is why I support open and transparent reviews of how our police service handles missing person cases generally and how these specific investigations were conducted.”

External review will look for bias

Tory said that the external review should look at “policies, procedures, protocols, training and organizational structures” that relate to missing persons reports.

He said that the review should also examine whether any “differentiated treatment or bias including but not limited to the LBGTQ communities” is at play in the way police respond to missing persons reports.

Finally, he said that the review should look at “national and international best practices” with respect to missing persons investigations and make recommendations on how the TPS can better respond to those cases.

Police Chief Mark Saunders has not commented on Tory’s calls for a external review, though police spokesperson Meghan Gray did tell CP24 on Wednesday afternoon that he has always said that he would be “open to a public inquiry” and “has already taken steps to consider what areas can be reviewed right now, during the ongoing investigation.”

Speaking with CP24 on Wednesday afternoon, LGBTQ advocate Nicki Ward called the external review “long overdue.”

She said that it her hope that the review will create some “immediate action,” though she said that the failures in the investigation into the disappearances of men from the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood may go beyond the scope of the TPS.

“I think it is important that the blame must also be shared by city hall. The police do take their lead from city hall,” she said.

Police looking into ‘concerning information’

Tory’s call for an external review comes after the professional standards unit launched an investigation into what police called “concerning information” that surfaced during the investigation into McArthur.

Earlier on Wednesday, police spokesperson Meaghan Gray said the information was brought forward by investigators and subsequently referred to the professional standards unit, which began their probe on Tuesday.

Gray said that police will not release details about the investigation in order to “ensure a fair disciplinary process and to protect evidence that is now part of a complex homicide investigation.”

Det. Sgt. Hank Idsinga, who is the lead investigator on the McArthur case, did however confirm to CTV News Toronto that he was the one to file the report with the Professional Standards Unit.

“I found something that was brought to my attention by some of the investigators on the (Project) Prism team where I think the actions of the Toronto Police Service need to be further investigated as to what they did or what they didn’t do,” he said. “I put that to paper and it is for them (Professional Standards) to investigate. It is not for me to investigate.”

Police interviewed McArthur years before arrest

The launch of the investigation comes after the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star both published stories indicating that police interviewed McArthur years before his arrest.

Police sources have told CTV News Toronto that while 51 Division officers did interview McArthur as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Skandaraj Navaratnam, they did not consider him a suspect and were only interested in speaking with him as someone who knew the missing man.

They also say that the professional standards investigation was not prompted by the fact that police had previously interviewed McArthur and was due to “some other contact” that the accused serial killer had with police.

In her statement, Gray conceded that the information that prompted the investigation “will be disappointing to some members of the community” but she did not provide any further details, other than to call it “concerning.”

Ward, meanwhile, told CP24 that the fact police did have contact with McArthur years prior to his arrest won’t come as a surprise to those in the LGBTQ community.

“Most of us in the community are not surprised. The fact that McArthur apparently slipped through their fingers before comes as a shock to no one in the community,” she said.

Probe won’t affect investigation into McArthur

In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, TPS board member Shelly Carroll said that while she does support an external review, she does not want a timeline attached to it as the “ongoing police investigation must be the first priority.”

For his part Idsinga, said that he is confident that the professional standards probe will not be a distraction as police continue their exhaustive investigation into McArthur.

He did tell CP24 that the case and the police response to it could possibly have a “negative” impact on the careers of some TPS personnel, though.

“This one certainly is going to have an impact on some careers positively and possibly negatively as well,” he said.

McArthur, 66, is currently charged with six counts of first-degree murder.

Earlier this week, police released an image of a deceased man that they believe could also be a victim of McArthur. At the time, police said they were releasing the photo as a “last resort” after being unable to identify the man through other means.