Toronto police are asking for a budget of about $1.2 billion next year, which is $20 million more than in 2023.

Toronto police are asking for a 1.7 per cent increase in their net operating budget next year to bring funding to about $1.2 billion, but a group that wants more police accountability says there is no reason for the increase.

In a press release Monday, the Toronto Police Service said its net operating budget for 2024 is $1.186 billion, an increase of $20 million from the approved 2023 budget.

In a Dec. 11 report to the Toronto Police Service board, police said the budget increase will allow them to hire about 300 new uniformed officers by the end of the year to help improve 911 response times and hire about 100 new officers to fill civilian roles. .

The proposed budget does not include funding that may be needed to raise wages. Current collective agreements expire on December 31, 2023, and there are no new agreements.

Police Chief Miron Demkiv said in a statement that the service needs more money due to an increase in emergency calls, hate crimes, violent carjackings and an increased population. According to the publication, emergency calls to the police increased by 18 percent this year.

“As our city's population continues to grow at record levels, cutting officer time by not hiring will result in member fatigue and Torontonians' ability to safely respond to emergencies. We need to be there when the public calls,” said Demkiw.

“We need to be there when the public calls,” Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiu said in a press release this week. (Cole Burston/CBC)

The operating budget request will go to the Police Services Board on Tuesday. If the application is accepted, it will be sent to the city budget committee and the city maslikhat in the new year.

Toronto doesn't need more police, former mayor says

John Sewell, a former mayor of Toronto and co-ordinator of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, which advocates for police policy, says the coalition believes budget cuts are possible and has suggestions for policing with less money. Reducing the budget means reducing the number of officers, he said.

The story continues

“You don't need an armed police officer to issue tickets or direct traffic. Civilians can easily do that,” Sewell said.

“We don't need police officers paying this extraordinary amount of money and walking around with guns, body armor, tasers and batons. We don't need that. It doesn't make Toronto a safer or better place,” he said.

Sewell said if the budget proposal passes, no other city department would expand at the rate requested by police.

John Sewell, co-ordinator of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, said of police requests for more money to hire more officers: “We don't need it. That doesn't make Toronto a safer or better place.” (Rosa Marchitelli/CBC)

In the release, the coalition says the service could cut costs in the following ways:

• Refer more mental health crisis calls to Toronto Community Crisis Services.

• Reduce policing at public events, including marches and demonstrations.

• Stop random police patrols.

• There should be fewer uniformed officers and more civilians for traffic service and ticket sales.

• Have only one officer in the cruiser after dark, not two.

Cyrus Marcus Ware, founder of Black Lives Matter-Canada and an assistant professor at McMaster University, said police have alternatives. Ware said more money should be spent on mental health services beyond 911 police responses and community support for people in mental health crisis.

Black Lives Matter called for police defunding in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd.

“When they do something wrong, we need to give them more money. When they do something right, we need to give them more money. The taxpayers, the people of the city of Toronto, when will they say enough is enough, enough is enough. Increased investment and all our money and resources in policing spend?” Ware said.

“We don't need this to make our communities safe and secure. We need something different.'

Cyrus Marcus Ware, founder of Black Lives Matter-Canada, said: “When they do something wrong, we should give them more money. Every time they do something right, we have to give them more money. When will the taxpayers, the people of Toronto, say that this is too much of an investment and that spending all our money and resources on the police is enough?/ (CBC's Big Sex Story)

Toronto Police Association president John Reid said the increase was “modest” and below inflation. He said 911 response times now range from 22 to 26 minutes.

“We have to make sure that when someone calls 911 in Toronto, we have the staff and the resources to make sure we can get there in time. By any standard, 22 minutes is not there,” Reed said.

In a release, police said there were 600 fewer officers in the force than in 2020, despite a population increase of about 460,000 over the past decade.

“If people don't feel safe, that's a big problem,” Reed said. “It's really important to make sure people feel safe and secure.”