Response Times Decreasing

Strategic deployment of new recruits based on call demand and resources management across the city have led to 35 per cent reduction in 9-1-1 call response times.

“Last year at this time, we had a Priority 1 average response of 19.6 minutes,” Toronto Police Service (TPS) Chief Myron Demkiw said at a media conference at police headquarters on March 4. “So far this year, we have improved average response time down to 12.6 minutes. This decrease of seven minutes represents is positive news.

“The year is young and we know that various factors can influence these numbers, including the weather. One thing is clear though. We remain committed to doing everything we can to see these trends moving in the right direction.”

Mayor Olivia Chow welcomed the good news.

When she was sworn in in October 2023, the response time was 26.7 minutes.

“Emergency services must grow with the city. Everyone deserves to be safe. When you face an emergency, you need to know that someone will be there to help you out,” said Chow, noting Toronto’s population has grow 35 per cent in a decade. “In our 2025 budget, a heavy investment was made on frontline officers. That means police will be there faster when you need them most.”

Toronto Police Service Board (TPSB) Chair Shelley Carroll heads the city’s budget committee.

“We have heard it loud and clear that people want to feel safe,” she said. “They want to feel that, on average, that response time is going down. They want to know that in a dire circumstance, you are the first one to get that response. We are able to say that now.”

Demkiw thanked the Mayor and the TPSB for approving the 2025 budget that allows TPS to continue hiring police officers, among other things.

“Our multi-year hiring plan, including the projected hiring of 720 new police officers over the next two years, will make a huge difference on the frontline and it will support our efforts to reduce response times,” he said.

The Chief also noted there have been decreases in community safety indicators, including robberies, auto theft, break and enters, shootings, intimate partner violence and hate crime.

“However, we remain vigilant as we see that carjackings are up,” he pointed out.

Demkiw acknowledged frontline members for doing an amazing job to keep the city safe.

“Their job is not easy and the Command team and the whole Service will continue to do everything we can to support them,” he added.