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Top provincial cop makes speeding arrest

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TORONTO, March 11 (UPI) -- The commissioner of Canada's second largest police force wasn't about to let a speeding driver get by him Tuesday, so he gave chase himself for the arrest.

Commissioner Julian Fantino of the Ontario Provincial Police, which has 5,300 uniformed officers and 2,300 civilian employees, was headed to work in Toronto on a major highway in an unmarked cruiser when a car flashed by him.

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Fantino radioed in the driver was exceeding 95 mph and a second cruiser arrived as Fantino was pulling the car over, the Toronto Star reported.

Constable George Silvestrl said it wasn't that unusual for the chief.

"This is actually fairly common with him," said Silvestrl. "He is still a police officer after all."

The 32-year-old driver was charged with stunt driving. His car was impounded, his license was suspended and he could face fines as high as $5,000, police said.

Last May, Fantino helped stop three cars that raced past him on a highway, and in November also helped in the arrest of another driver on driving and drug charges, the report said.

The OPP is second in size in Canada to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with some 15,000 officers.

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