The president of the Police Association of Ontario has a sober warning for Ontarians.
Bruce Chapman said chronic underfunding of municipal services is producing cracks in policing. He said communities across Ontario are increasingly at risk of experiencing cracks in police service delivery due to a chronic underfunding of public services.
"I am greatly concerned about the direct impact this continuous underfunding of police and social services has on the ability for our police personnel members to effectively do their jobs," Chapman said.
The PAO has used data from Statistics Canada and has identified a direct connection between the underfunding of police and social services and a municipality’s high Violent Crime Severity Index (VCSI) rate. Data from various communities throughout the province, he said, highlights how underfunding is affecting public safety. Chapman added cities that keep underfunding public services will continue to be limited in their efforts to decrease the VCSI and improve police service employment conditions.
He said when uniformed officers and police service employees are regularly being asked to fill extra shifts and work overtime to make up for a lack of personnel, it contributes to high rates of burnout and individuals taking extended leaves of absence due to operational stress injuries. Chapman said this creates a cyclical effect because there are fewer police personnel available to take on that additional work.
He said underfunding police and social services is not a sustainable public safety strategy, and municipalities and police service boards need to recognize the value of protecting the health and wellness of those who protect their community in order to avoid the potential of further cracks in policing.
"The PAO is committed to working with our member associations on local engagement strategies to move these discussions forward," added Chapman.
The Police Association of Ontario represents 47 police associations across the province.