Organizational News

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Chief Demkiw:

Thank you, Chair.

Good morning everyone.

We are meeting today on the day after the one-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks on Israel.

October 7th will live in infamy as the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Yesterday was a day of reflection and remembrance for many, and we understand the pain and emotions that this commemoration represents.

Yesterday and over the weekend, just like it’s the case for any major event, we were very well-prepared.

Various demonstrations were held without any major incidents.

Since October 7, there have been more than 1,500 total Protests and Demonstrations in the City of Toronto.

In the same time, there have been 382 Protests and Demonstrations related to Project Resolute, resulting in 78 arrests and 126 charges in total.

While our police officers are showing tremendous professionalism on the front lines, we also continue our outreach efforts. 

In the past year alone, we have conducted thousands of proactive visits to schools, places of worship, and community centres to ensure the safety and security of our residents. The response has been positive, and we will of course continue these visits.

I have also been meeting personally with members of different communities on a regular basis.

As tensions continue to rise around the world, we know that global events always have an impact here at home. This includes the potential for increased protest activity and acts of violence.

Last week, I shared with Torontonians part of our plan to keep our city safe.

We are increasing the presence of both plainclothes and uniformed officers, Public Order Sections, Mounted Units, and Police Liaison teams.

Presently, three mobile command posts are stationed in Jewish neighborhoods, and a fourth mobile command post is deployed to various mosques across the city.

Amongst the deployed command posts, Torontonians will have seen three smaller versions of our command vehicles which have been developed over the course of the past year and will continue to provide us an opportunity to engage with our communities differently going forward.

I would now like to ask Deputy Johnson to give you a Hate Crime Update.

Deputy Chief Johnson:

Thank you, Chief.

Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world. This is a source of pride, but it also means that we are uniquely impacted by geopolitical events.

Violence, threats, and hate crimes have no place in our city.

Unfortunately, hate crimes have risen in Toronto.

As we can see on the graphic here [see graphic included below]:

Year-to-date, there have been 358 confirmed hate crime occurrences – a 42.6% increase since this time last year.

The greatest increase has been against the Jewish community, by 74.5%, representing a total of 164 occurrences this year.

We have also seen an increase in reported incidents of hate directed at other identified communities. 

While we examine the impact of hate crimes on our city, it’s important to recognize that hate impacts many diverse members of our communities.

Hate is spreading because of different factors such as polarization, disinformation and misinformation, and the impact of geopolitics, to name but a few.

While some numbers have increased, all have remained unacceptably high.

17.9% of hate crimes were directed against Black communities. That’s an increase of 28% compared to last year. And 21.21% since October 7th, 2023.

14% of hate crimes were directed against LGBTQ2S+ communities. That’s an increase of 4.2% compared to last year. And 8.8% since October 7th.  

7.8% are Anti-Muslim/Palestinian/Arab hate crimes. That’s an increase of 40% compared to last year. And 108.3% since October 7th.

Since October 7, 2023, we have made 161 arrests and laid 403 charges in relation to hate crimes.

Last week on October 2nd, after collecting evidence and conducting an investigation, two individuals were arrested and charged with Public Incitement of Hatred because they continued to wave Hezbollah flags in a demonstration that took place on September 28th.

As you know, Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist entity by the Government of Canada.

I remain concerned that hate crimes are under-reported. It impacts all communities across the city.

I’m hearing from our communities about the value of building relationships and trust through our officers with programs like our Neighborhood Community Officer Program.

We remain committed to building trust and breaking down barriers to accessing police services in many aspects of community safety and wellbeing, and especially as it relates to hate crime reporting.

We strongly encourage the public to report any suspected hateful act to police. Our expanded Hate Crime Unit continues to investigate every reported instance of hate.

The Toronto Police Service will be present and visible in our communities for as long as necessary.

Chief Demkiw:

Thank you, Deputy.

On the topic of heightened police presence and making this presence more visible, we are entering the last month of our three-month pilot project, Project Magnify.

As you will recall, Chair, Project Magnify has seen officers wearing “Guardian Angel” lights on their uniforms for increased visibility to the public, and our marked police vehicles outfitted with a feature that allows officers to activate static red and blue lights on the roof top light bar to increase visibility.

Since August 1st, the project has been operated in 14, 31, and 43 Divisions, along with our Public Safety Response Team.

As a result of the early positive feedback we received from both community members and members of the Service, I am pleased to tell you that we have taken steps to expand the pilot into our downtown core where we have many special events and demonstrations that typically attract large gatherings.

51 and 52 Divisions, along with Traffic Services have had their marked police vehicles outfitted with the high visibility lighting capability and some of the officers in these locations will be utilizing the “Guardian Angel” lights.

We developed Project Magnify following a series of town halls last year.

It was clear that residents wanted to see more police in their neighbourhoods, particularly in areas most affected by gun violence.

We know cops count. We know police officers being present in our communities makes a difference.  

Just last week, I participated in a town hall with Councillor Frances Nunziata, and a lot of people expressed this very sentiment.

Over the past several weeks, there has been a significant number of shootings and tragic incidents in our city.

Last Wednesday, one of our officers was injured. He was shot during a Robbery investigation.

I visited him in hospital, and I am relieved that he is expected to make a full recovery.

Upon being released from hospital on his way home, our member stopped by 53 Division to acknowledge the support he received from his Toronto Police family.

I heard from police leaders and community members from across the country offering their support and expressing their concerns about what the policing sector is experiencing concerning officer safety.

Thank you to all for your kind and supportive words. And I would like to acknowledge you, Board members, for your support of our member during this difficult time.

Our member was the second officer shot in ten weeks. It adds to the list of officers injured while serving their city.

This is yet another example of the dangers our officers face every day.

Notwithstanding the rise of violence towards our members, they continue to go into harm’s way to keep our city safe

Gun violence in the city of Toronto continues to be our priority.

The data surrounding gun violence is as follows:

Shootings are up by 6% for a total of 110.

Firearm discharges are up 71% for a total of 255.

Persons killed by firearms are up 58% for a total of 38.

Injuries as a result of these shootings are down 12% for a total of 94.

You will recall earlier this year, the tow truck industry conflict accounted for a large increase in shooting events.

Since the success of Project Beacon, those numbers have gone down. There only has been one tow truck related shooting since Project Beacon.  

So far in 2024, we made 758 firearm arrests. The total number of firearm arrests for 2023 was 679.

We are laser focused on getting crime guns off our streets, bringing those responsible to justice, and preventing further violence.  

When I speak about gun violence, it’s important to recognize that these numbers represent more than just statistics.

These numbers represent a human toll that comes with pain and trauma felt by families and communities for generations.

We need bold, multisectoral work with community and SafeTO partners coming together like never before to tackle what is a significant community safety and wellbeing concern.  

I would now ask Deputy Chief Pogue to update you on our partnership with the city to relieve congestion on our streets.

Deputy Chief Pogue

Thank you, Chief.

Another challenge that continues to require heightened police presence and visibility is road traffic congestion.

The Toronto Police Service is an active partner in the City’s Congestion Management Plan and will play an important role in education and enforcement.

Following a period of public education, we will be launching the “Project Gridlock” campaign.

To compliment the daily work of front-line members, additional resources will be provided by on-duty Traffic Services Motor Squad officers. These TSV officers will be deployed strategically in locations, during the day and afternoon rush hours, to address drivers who disobey traffic signals and block intersections, causing gridlock on our roads.

We will also be using existing technology like the body-worn camera to better gather evidence of the offences and have offenders report to a different location for ticketing. The reason for this approach is obvious: we don’t want to fight traffic congestion by creating more congestion. This method of ticketing will hold more offenders accountable and contribute to improving traffic flow through our city.

While mentioning TSV Motor Squad officers, I want to add that they are also being deployed to focus on the City’s highways and major thoroughfares to quickly respond to hazard calls and other calls for service. With motorcycles, these officers can move through traffic more easily than standard police cars in order to clear issues from the road faster. TSV Motor Squad has a long history of contributing to keeping the city moving and as such, the Toronto Police Service is enhancing our capacity in this area.

In addition to all of this, the Toronto Police Service will continue to support the Traffic Warden program while the City enhances and develops it.

Chief Demkiw:

Thank you, Deputy.

Chair, no matter the challenges, the members of the Toronto Police Service continue to step up, and we continue to attract exceptional talent who want to serve in a dynamic city like Toronto.

At our last Board meeting, CAO Dhaliwal talked about our multi-year hiring plan.

Continuing to recruit skilled, serious, and passionate candidates is a priority for us.

On September 18th, I had the pleasure of meeting new talented Communications Operators and Dispatchers.

They each followed a 37-week intense training program.

They took 60 quizzes and 12 exams, and they were evaluated 10 times.

As the largest and busiest communications centre in Canada, the Toronto Police Service call centre receives more than 2.2 million calls annually and over 1.4 million of these calls are 9-1-1 calls.

This is a job that, while can be stressful, it is incredibly rewarding.

These Communications operators and dispatchers are truly a lifeline for our communities and our members alike.

They have our unwavering support, and we wish them a long, healthy, and fulfilling careers with the Toronto Police Service.

In closing, I would like to discuss the complexities of policing in a big city like Toronto.

Earlier, I talked about the impacts of geopolitical conflicts, but we also have to ensure the safety of everyone during major events like the upcoming Taylor Swift concerts, the upcoming FIFA Cup, as well as during events like Nuit Blanche which took place this past weekend and attracted extraordinary amounts of people to specific areas of the city.

This is what makes this city so great: the many opportunities we have to come together, engage with one another, and celebrate our vibrant communities.

In this spirit, I look forward to the Prayer Walk on October 24th. This is the second interfaith Prayer Walk being held in all 16 TPS Divisions simultaneously.

The goal is to establish greater awareness and build relationships among TPS Divisions and local faith-leaders as the bridge-builders of the community.

Everyone is welcome to join, and I am sure we will have a great turnout.

Before I end, I would like to congratulate Clayton Campbell for being elected last night as the new President of the Toronto Police Association.

I spoke with Clayton earlier this morning and told him I look forward to working with him.

I also want to congratulate the new Toronto Police Association Board of Directors.

The Service and the TPA have a shared commitment for the wellbeing of our members.

You have heard me often speak about the incredible people that make up the Toronto Police Service, and I look forward to working with the new TPA President and Board as we serve these amazing people.

I also would like to acknowledge all the candidates who ran for elected positions. It takes courage and commitment to do so.

And finally, I want to thank Jon Reid for his many years of service as a police officer, and 4 years as Toronto Police Association President.

Thank you all.