Proposed changes detailed in a leaked report could have a dramatic impact on policing in Toronto, the head of the Toronto Police Association is warning.
“We already are hearing anecdotally from our members that there aren’t enough cars on the street right now, there isn’t enough time for police officers to get out there and do proactive policing,” Mike McCormack, president of the Toronto Police Association told CP24 Tuesday night.
McCormack’s comments come following a report in the Toronto Star over the weekend detailing a KPMG study on possible cost-cutting measures to the city’s police force, including the closure of the city’s 17 police divisions in favour of ‘storefront’ operations.
Reducing platoon sizes, increasing civilian positions, outsourcing some functions to private security firms, and shrinking middle management are also addressed in the report, according to the Star.
The report, commissioned by the Toronto Police Services Board last year, will be discussed at an upcoming meeting on Dec. 17.
The TPSB has yet to comment on the content of the report.
McCormack, who said he has not seen the report, said that while his organization is open to discussions around efficiencies, recommendations like shuttering divisions are not practical.
“We are already down 400 police officers,” he said. “We have an issue with staffing right now; we have an issue with response times.
“The public has a right to public policing and professional policing, and we’re going to provide that, but there is a cost associated with that.”
According to his members, current physical and human resources are already limited.
“Police officers in this city are getting stressed, and we’re having a moral issue right now with all the attention to policing saying now we can replace police officers with three kids and some slingshots – it is getting to the stage where this is getting ridiculous.”
The KPMG report is expected to be made public before the meeting on Dec. 17.
