The Toronto Police Service released its Annual Use of Force Report for 2024, demonstrating a 13.5% decline in Use of Force incidents across the city, compared to the previous four-year average.

Of the 411,607 calls for service attended in 2024 only 0.46% required Use of Force, indicating that the majority of police interactions are resolved without force.

“These positive trends demonstrate our ongoing commitment to focus on de-escalation and other tactics to ensure safer outcomes for all the communities we serve,” said Chief of Police Myron Demkiw.

De-escalation techniques were applied in 86.9% of all use of force incidents over the last year.

The report, presented to the Toronto Police Service Board today, showed there were 1,152 incidents requiring Use of Force in 2024, and an average of 1,331 incidents reported between 2020 and 2024.

The Service continues to enhance training, update governance, and place a strong focus on community engagement to ensure policing practices reflect community expectations and officer safety.

Other key findings include (compared to the four-year average):

• Subject injuries decreased by 48.9%.
• Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) decreased by 33.6%.
• Firearms discharges decreased by 26.9%.
• Total Criminal Code Violations increased by 29.4%.

The Service saw these trends while the city’s population increased 6.6% and arrested persons increased last year by 39.2%.

“It is a testament to our officers’ incredible skills, professionalism and courage as they resolve complex situations that are often unpredictable and violent, through communication and de-escalation,” said Chief Demkiw.

For more information, the Annual Use of Force Report is available at www.tpsb.ca.