Organizational News
Toronto Police Service Board approves 2025 Operational Budget
The Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) 2025 Operating Budget request, which will support increased frontline and investigative capacity, and the expansion of the Neighbourhood Community Officer (NCO) Program has just been approved by the Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB).
“This budget will allow us to keep building on the progress of the last year,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw. “We’re continuing our multi-year approach to hiring, bringing more officers to the frontline, which will help us get to Toronto residents sooner when they’re facing an emergency. It will also support putting Neighbourhood Community Officers into four more neighbourhoods.”
The $1,220.2 million budget includes a $46.2 million increase (3.9 per cent), which will be forwarded to the City of Toronto’s budget process and voted on by Toronto City Council on February 11, 2025.
“I want to thank the board for supporting our vision for community safety and wellbeing, and I look forward to working with them to build on the progress we have made over the past year,” said Chief Demkiw.
Supporting Safer Communities Through Strategic Investments
This year’s budget request centres around the continuation of a multi-year hiring plan approved by the Board in November, enabling the hiring of 720 officers over the next two years (includes backfills for separations). This plan is vital to addressing population growth, rising service demands, increasing retirements and augmenting supervision for a younger frontline workforce. Key elements include:
Hiring and Deployment:
- Four classes of 90 officers to be hired in 2025, resulting in a net gain of 109 officers after retirements.
- 70 officers will join the frontline, enhancing emergency services response times.
- 23 officers will bolster investigative capacity, solving cases faster and providing closure to victims.
NCO Expansion:
- Four new communities will benefit from NCOs, with four experienced officers embedded in each neighborhood for a total of 16 officers.
- NCOs build trust and drive collaboration, reducing crime and fear. A public survey on 2025 budget priorities revealed that 85 per cent of respondents value having an NCO in their community.
Additional Staffing:
- Recruiting 90 9-1-1 communications operators to enhance emergency call response.
- Continuing to hire Special Constable and parking enforcement officers
Modernizing Policing to Improve Service Delivery
TPS is committed to modernization, leveraging technology, and driving better service delivery. Recent advancements include:
- Full deployment of body-worn cameras and implementation of a digital evidence platform to support better data disclosure to courts.
- Automated Licence Plate Reader (ALPR) technology was installed in nearly 600 patrol vehicles to assist with stolen vehicle investigations and public safety alerts.
- Greater online reporting options, including transitioning 30 per cent of parking complaints to online platforms, freeing up 9-1-1 operator resources.
In parallel to hiring and investing in technology, the Service continues to make improvements to service delivery. Response times for the highest-priority calls have improved by 26 per cent in 2024, reducing average response times by more than five minutes. During the same period the Service has attended three per cent more Priority 1 and 2 calls, and 16 per cent more Priority 3 calls.
The Service has also made over eight per cent more arrests in 2024 and traffic tickets and warnings have increased by 20 per cent. Despite greater number of interactions and greater level of violent occurrences, the Service’s use of force rates have decreased from 2022 to 2023, demonstrating its continued commitment to embedding de-escalation techniques in its training and hiring a diverse, community-minded group with a high level of skill.
Addressing Complex Challenges in a Dynamic City
Toronto’s unique status as a world-class city and its location along the Highway 401 corridor present ongoing challenges, including organized crime, human trafficking, and the movement of illegal goods. Additionally, in 2024, TPS responded to approximately 2,000 unplanned events tied to global geopolitical issues. Key initiatives to address these complexities include:
- Establishment of specialized units such as the Hate Crime Unit, Fraud Intake Office and the Centralized Shooting Response Team.
- Project Resolute to manage the impacts of October 7, including hundreds of demonstrations, dozens of arrests, and thousands of police engagements.
- Carjacking Investigative Team has helped reduce auto thefts by 20 per cent.
Looking Ahead
While progress has been made in the last few years to reform and improve service delivery levels, there is more to do.
“This budget proposal strikes a balance between affordability and the critical need to deliver adequate and effective policing services for Toronto,” said Svina Dhaliwal, Chief Administrative Officer. “This budget allows us to invest in people and technology, as we continue modernizing and commit to police reform, while ensuring the safety of Toronto residents.”
This budget will allow the Service to continue making progress, and working with partners, to address the unique demands of the city effectively and efficiently.
A backgrounder on the 2025 budget can be found on the TPS website.
All budget materials can be found on the budget section of the TPS website.