Gun Violence

Recent shootings that took the lives of six people including a teenager have left deep wounds in our communities and the Toronto Police Service continues to deploy significant resources to address gun violence.

“These senseless acts of violence forever change families. We are taking a whole of service and dynamic approach to get guns, and the criminals using them, off our streets,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw in his monthly report to the Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB).

The Service is prioritizing response to shooting calls for service. In the six recent fatal shootings the average response time was 2.4 minutes.

So far this year, 490 arrests have been made for firearms offences and approximately 10,000 bail compliance checks have been done to ensure firearms offenders are following conditions of their release.

Missing and Missed Implementation

The Board heard several presentations including one from the Missing and Missed Implementation Team about work to implement the recommendations from The Independent Civilian Review into Missing Person Investigations.

Chief Demkiw reported that 97% of the 151 recommendations are either implemented or are in progress. Find out more about the progress on the MMIT webpage.

Hate Crime

Deputy Chief Robert Johnson told the TPSB that hate crime occurrences are up 54.9 per cent over the same period last year.

“We are attending an average of 5 hate crime calls for service every day,” said Deputy Johnson. “Anti-Semitism continues to account for more reported hate crimes than any other category. Of the 221 hate crimes so far in 2024, 44.8 per cent were anti-Semitic.”.

There have been 333 confirmed hate crimes since October 7, 2023, resulting in 107 arrests and 268 hate crime occurrence related charges. The most common are mischief, assault and uttering threats and 88 per cent of these were crimes against property.

Jewish and Muslim Liaison Officers continue to attend mosques, synagogues, schools and events, and meet with organizations and community groups regularly. They are also connecting with Muslim youth by attending outreach events and liaising and collaborating with Muslim Student Associations across the city.

Hiring a Diverse Workforce

Chief Administrative Officer Svina Dhaliwal reported positive results in hiring more women and diverse candidates.

The Service continues to attract, hire and promote an increasingly diverse workforce at all levels. Consistently 35 – 38 per cent of all external applicants (cadets and civilian roles) self-identify as having a racialized background.

Since 2020, cadet classes have increased in racial diversity by 33 per cent. 

The number of women in civilian roles has increased to 46 per cent compared to 41.5 per cent in 2022. Women represent 28 per cent of uniform senior officers compared to 13 per cent in 2018.

Today, 23 per cent of senior officers are racialized compared to 16 per cent in 2018.

CAO Dhaliwal said there is still work to be done. 

“We are committed to continuing to develop strategies that attract more applicants from diverse communities and create opportunities for those applicants to succeed in various processes,” said Dhaliwal.

Welcoming New Staff Superintendents

Today, the Service also announced the appointment of five new Staff Superintendents: Kelly Skinner, Shannon Dawson, Joe Matthews, Brett Nicol and Frank Barredo. Congratulations to these members as they take on their new leadership roles.

Read more about the Staff Superintendents on the TPS website.