Community policing won't suffer as Toronto's cash-strapped police service juggles to cover a looming staffing gap as more than 200 officers retire without new recruits to replace them, Chief Bill Blair pledged Wednesday.
On the contrary, he promised police will seek to work more with community groups and improve relations in such strained neighbourhoods as Jane and Finch, where an all-day workshop at the Oakdale Community Centre strove to improve relations between police and residents.
Right now, says educator Dennis Keshinro, the students he works with don't trust police enough to approach them about crimes in the neighbourhood.
"The police they see here every day, they can't talk to them," he said. "We need someone like that here, in the community, who works with us."
Chief Blair said outside the meeting that he has no intention of cutting community policing. "It depends on when we can go back to hiring, but certainly in 2011 there will be no reductions," he said. "We're still very committed to continuing to provide all of those services. … I'll do everything in my power to ensure that although we know we're facing some financial constraints, that those constraints don't impact on the safety of our neighbourhoods, on the services that we provide."
It won't be easy. Although the force can make it through most of 2011 short only about 70 officers, it will need a major cash infusion in 2012 in order to play catch-up and try to reduce the staffing gap, said Tony Veneziano, chief administrative officer of the Toronto Police Service.
And 2012 will be no budgetary picnic for the city. Much of this year's shortfall was covered by the surpluses of previous years. Both the mayor's office and city manager Joe Pennachetti have warned of sharper budgetary pain, and tougher spending choices, in 2012.
"There's no doubt there's going to be a pressure," Mr. Veneziano said, although he wouldn't speculate as to what might happen if the city doesn't boost police spending significantly next year.
"We've been working with the city, and we will continue to work with them. We don't anticipate that's going to be a scenario that we're going to have to deal with."