The G20 summit report from the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) that was released today made 42 separate recommendations, compiled in a summary at the beginning of the report. Here are some of the most significant:

1. Take more time to plan. Police and governments had only four months to prepare for the G20. They needed much more.
2. Be ready with contingency policing plans for unexpected and urgent situations.
3. Teach police how to de-escalate potentially violent situations and communicate effectively. That should be the police officers' primary goal.
4. Toronto police should develop policies for breaches of the peace at large protests. "The objective should be to remove people from the scene of the protest and to restore the peace."
5. Police officers' movements must be more fluid to keep up with protesters. Develop better ways of tracking where officers are — both for effectiveness and for their own safety. Same goes for communications.
6. Be ready for mass arrests. That includes tracking prisoners, protecting their rights and dignity, and training the people running holding centres.
7. Supply public order units with uniforms and gear that give them better agility and mobility.
8. Say cheese. People will take pictures and videotape police at work, and police must recognize their right to do so "without being subject to detention, search, or confiscation and destruction of property."
9. Accredit all media (including new media and non-traditional media) through one office, and then ensure police respect the credentials. Involve the media in creating the policies, and make the policies public.
10. Get better at communications and record-keeping. Police also need to set time limits for investigating civilian complaints, and prepare for earlier disclosure of documents with the review agencies involved.