Toronto police say they will end their extra patrols of TTC properties starting today
The addition of 80 police officers across the system began in January in response to a rash of violent incidents on the transit system, including fatal attacks, stabbings and people being shoved onto tracks
During budget deliberations earlier this year, city staff warned that the police force did not have enough money to keep paying the overtime costs for the additional patrols past winter
The move was costing approximately $1.5 million per month
“TPS will now return to primarily deploying on-duty officers in the transit system and incorporating those proactive patrols within regular operational work,” Toronto Police said in a news release Monday
The statement said TPS will continue to work with the city and the TTC “to assess public safety needs on an ongoing basis
“Additional support with police callback shifts will resume if deemed necessary,” the statement said
The force noted that while the additional patrols were in place, officers “engaged with the TTC ridership daily and supported the city and TTC by directly providing more than 220 referrals to individuals needing help in accessing social assistance supports including shelter, food, and mental health services”
They also made more than 314 arrests, including an arrest and firearm seizure at Pioneer Village subway station, the arrest of one person in connection with an unprovoked attack on the Spadina streetcar, and two arrests in incidents where people were assaulted with weapons
Going forward, Toronto Police said, deployment of police officers will remain “intelligence-led”
“Toronto Police will be visible in the transit system and officers will continue to patrol the TTC and respond to emergencies and calls for service,” Chief Myron Demkiw said in a statement. “Police officers will patrol during the periods that typically generate the most calls for service, where there is a high volume of ridership with times and locations fluctuating based on our intelligence, including the number of calls for police service and information provided by the TTC”
He said the force “will remain flexible to respond to the concerns of the public and will continuously assess the public safety needs, along with TTC and the City of Toronto”
TTC CEO Rick Leary thanked the force in his own statement “for their continued support” and called their partnership “essential to addressing the complex safety and security challenges the TTC has been facing recently”
“In addition to the TPS resources, the TTC has been deploying more staff supervisors, additional special constables, contracted street outreach workers and specially trained security guards into our system over the past few weeks as part of this coordinated, strategic approach to safety and security,” Leary said
The statement noted that the TTC recently added 50 temporary security guards to the system, along with “Community Safety Ambassadors” and Street to Homes (S2H) outreach workers in partnership with the city
Violence on the TTC has been a growing problem over the past few months, with riders and staff reporting feeling unsafe because of the incidents
Joshua Freeman, CP24 Web Writer
