Crime in Toronto was up sharply last year, which began with a series of troubling random attacks on public transit, including the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy.Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press
I know, I know. The police budget is the 800-pound gorilla of city spending. Police chiefs are always saying they don’t have enough money to do their jobs. Higher spending on police doesn’t necessarily mean a safer city. I know.
All the same, Toronto should listen to its police chief when he says he needs a $20-million boost to his force’s $1.2-billion budget this year.
Toronto is at a delicate point in its history. With housing prices and living costs sky high, the downtown still recovering from the pandemic, transit service hit and miss, tents in the parks and signs of urban disorder all around, the city is experiencing a crisis of confidence.
Crime was up sharply last year, which began with a series of troubling random attacks on public transit, including the fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old boy. The city saw a big surge in carjackings, ordinary auto thefts, assaults and stabbings, though gun violence fell. The number of “major crime incidents,” including murders and sexual assaults, was the highest in 10 years.
Hate crimes spiked, partly as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict. A series of big demonstrations added to the police workload.
Chief Myron Demkiw argues that he can’t keep the city safe without more cops. The $20-million would help him fill the hiring and training pipeline with new recruits, making up for the hundreds of positions lost because of recent budget and hiring freezes and the hundreds of officers expected to retire in coming years.
He says the time it takes police to respond to high-priority calls has reached 22.6 minutes, up from 12.8 minutes in 2010. “We had 600 more officers back then, with 5,615 total uniform strength and nearly half a million fewer citizens to serve,” he wrote in the Toronto Star.
The (er) joys of riding Toronto streetcars
In one recent case, he said, a resident had to wait 50 minutes for police after calling to say that three suspects were trying to steal his truck. In the meantime, the thieves kicked in the door and threatened to shoot him. “The current reality experienced by our residents keeps me up at night,” wrote the chief.
Fear-mongering? His critics certainly think so. The defund-the-police lobby has been urging city council to spend on supports for the poor and the homeless instead of squandering it on more cops.
They are missing the mood of the city – for that matter, of the country. Canadians are justifiably worried about the rising disorder in their towns and cities.
Given the times, $20-million more for the police in a city budget of $17-billion is not an outrageous ask. It was approved by the police services board, an oversight body that pores over police spending. Its chair, Ann Morgan, called the request “fiscally responsible.” Chief Demkiw says the increase is below the rate of inflation.
This is more than just another money grab by another police chief. Chief Demkiw is a straight shooter, not an empire builder. His warnings have the ring of a man who is sincerely worried about whether he can do his duty with the resources at his command.
With lots of fixed costs, most of his budget devoted to salaries and little control over how much salaries will rise, he has a limited pool of discretionary funds to play with. He looked at the numbers and said frankly that he does not like what he sees.
Mayor Olivia Chow turned him down anyway. In her first budget as mayor, presented on Thursday, she overlooked the chief’s evidence and backed a recommendation from city staff to give the cops a $7.4-million hike instead of $20-million. That sent a bad message to the police, who are feeling discouraged after years of scrutiny (some of it overdue) of their practices and conduct.
Worse, it sent a bad message to the city. People are feeling shaken by the unruliness they see in the streets and on transit. Their concerns can’t be waved off as NIMBYism or hysteria. If they lose faith in the power of their leaders to keep the city in shape, they may lose faith in its future. Growing, prosperous and still relatively safe by North American standards, Toronto must do everything it can to prevent the sort of downward spiral that can overtake big cities in times of trouble.
Putting more police on the streets, and getting them out to calls in good time, is one way of showing that there really is someone in charge. No, it doesn’t guarantee that crime will fall, but it might help. At the very least it sends a reassuring signal to worried residents that they will get the protection they need when they need it.
City council still has an opportunity to review Ms. Chow’s budget. Its members should take a serious look at Chief Demkiw’s plea and ask themselves whether it is really wise to deny him. If he is losing sleep, we all should be.