One has to give credit to Dave Wilson for being so single-minded. You ask him anything about policing in Toronto and he says: “It is the fault of the Toronto Police Services Board. If only the Board agreed to make our members the highest paid police officers in the country, all public safety issues will disappear.” I am not sure if this is an example of being single-minded or of having a one-track mind. It is like all VIA trains travel on the same track, no matter what the destination!
In Dave Wilson’s case, that track is called MORE TAX DOLLARS!
We often hear the cry of “We’re behind” or “You don’t respect us” from the Toronto Police Association when its bargaining demands are not being met. This time is no different.
From the Association’s constant refrain, you would assume that Toronto is not paying its fair share when it comes to policing. The opposite is true. In fact, Toronto devotes a very high level of resources to policing. Comparisons with other municipalities provide a very interesting insight about the cost of policing and the level of resources that Toronto provides to its police service.
What are the conclusions?
A few themes emerge from this comparison:
· Toronto is well-resourced when it comes to policing.
· Toronto’s cost of policing is significantly higher than those of our neighbours.
· Except for Windsor, Toronto has proportionately more police officers than any other major Ontario municipality. Toronto’s per capita cost of policing is among the highest in Canada. It is 30% higher than the average of the major Ontario municipalities.
The Data
The following data provide some interesting information about police resources. These are derived from Statistics Canada’s annual report called “Police Resources in Canada” which provides a variety of statistical data concerning the level of police resources across the country.
The Cost of Policing
The cost of policing in the large Ontario municipalities provides an interesting point of comparison.
In terms of per capita cost derived from dividing the police budget by population, we see that Toronto’s per capita cost of $320 is the highest. This figure compares to $211 for Peel and Durham and $192 for York. London, which has the highest crime rate per 100,000 population, has a per capita cost that is about 33% less than that of Toronto
Operating Expenditures – Ontario Large Police Services – 2006
Source: Police Resources in Canada, 2007 p. 48
Police Service: York
Per Capita Cost: $192
Police Service: Halton
Per Capita Cost: $185
Police Service: Peel
Per Capita Cost: $211
Police Service: Durham
Per Capita Cost: $211
Police Service: Waterloo
Per Capita Cost: $190
Police Service: Ottawa
Per Capita Cost: $217
Police Service: Niagara
Per Capita Cost: $255
Police Service: Greater Sudbury
Per Capita Cost: $233
Police Service: Hamilton
Per Capita Cost: $220
Police Service: Toronto
Per Capita Cost: $320
Police Service: Windsor
Per Capita Cost: $284
Police Service: London
Per Capita Cost: $200
AVERAGE: $226.50
What about the number of police officers for each resident?
If we examine the ratio of population to police officer in the large Ontario municipal police services, we see that Toronto has much fewer residents per police officer.
Population per Police Officer – Ontario Large Police Services – 2007
Source: Police Resources in Canada, 2007, p. 32
Toronto - 474
Windsor - 474
London - 636
Niagara Regional - 653
Greater Sudbury - 655
Hamilton - 669
Ottawa - 694
Peel - 706
Waterloo Regional - 717
Durham Regional - 733
York - 752
Halton - 836
Compared to the other major services, Toronto has the highest level of police officers to population and is significantly higher than the adjacent police services of York, Durham and Peel.
What about the crime rates in these municipalities?
This data examines the number of police officers per 100,000 population in the municipalities. It also lists the 2006 crime rate for these municipalities in terms of the number of Criminal Code incidents per 100,000 population.
Police Officers and Crime Rates – Large Ontario Municipal Police Services
Police Service: York
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 133
2006 Crime Rate: 3177
Police Service: Halton
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 120
2006 Crime Rate: 3575
Police Service: Peel
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 142
2006 Crime Rate: 4020
Police Service: Durham
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 136
2006 Crime Rate: 4890
Police Service: Waterloo
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 140
2006 Crime Rate: 5295
Police Service: Ottawa
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 144
2006 Crime Rate: 5913
Police Service: Niagara
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 153
2006 Crime Rate: 5951
Police Service: Greater Sudbury
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 153
2006 Crime Rate: 6219
Police Service: Hamilton
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 149
2006 Crime Rate: 6298
Police Service: Toronto
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 211
2006 Crime Rate: 6371
Police Service: Windsor
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 211
2006 Crime Rate: 8662
Police Service: London
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 157
2006 Crime Rate: 9194
This data is interesting because it shows that the Toronto crime rate is relatively the same as those in Hamilton, Sudbury, Niagara Region and Ottawa. It is substantially less than those in Windsor and London. Yet, the proportion of Toronto officers is the same as Windsor – and much higher (almost 50%) than in municipalities with a similar crime rate.
What about major Canadian cities as a basis for comparison?
With a couple of exceptions, Toronto has a lower crime rate than other Canadian cities. We are able to achieve this with a ratio of officers to population that is almost always lower than in other cities.
Major Canadian Cities
Source: Police Resources in Canada, 2007 p.18
City: Montreal
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 235
2006 Crime Rate: 8772
City: Vancouver
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 222
2006 Crime Rate: 11583
City: Calgary
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 159
2006 Crime Rate: 6642
City: Edmonton
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 184
2006 Crime Rate: 11045
City: Winnipeg
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 196
2006 Crime Rate: 11805
City: Quebec City
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 138
2006 Crime Rate: 5424
City: Halifax
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 222
2006 Crime Rate: 11824
City: Saskatoon
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 191
2006 Crime Rate: 13996
City: Regina
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 189
2006 Crime Rate: 13152
City: St. John’s
Police Officers per 100,000 population 2007: 153
2006 Crime Rate: 6773
This brief examination of the level of resources in relation to crime rates allows for some interesting and important conclusions.
First, the level of resources is high compared to many of the comparator jurisdictions, both in terms of number of officers and financing.
Second, the crime rate data is quite good. The overall crime rate is comparable to many other services (who have lower resource levels) and the trend is favourable.
Third, the per capita cost is a concern. It is substantially higher than many of the comparators. Given the large population base in Toronto – a 30% differential in per capita cost translates into a budget impact of about one-quarter of a billion dollars per year.
