One year
later, Service stronger than ever
Chief
Bill Blair believes that the Service and the city it serves has solidified
its relationship to combat violence in Toronto.
Approaching
his first-year anniversary in his tenure as Toronto’s top cop, the
29-year veteran says the strong community bonds are being drawn from
increased numbers of uniformed officers and a great trust instilled by the
public.
“We’re
hearing very encouraging things about communities working with us, we’re
seeing an improvement in the level of support in diverse communities and
cooperation in those communities,” says Blair, who proudly awoke last
April 26 to the responsibility of overseeing Canada’s largest municipal
police service and ensuring the safety of the city’s 2.6 million
residents.
Blair
– the ninth Chief of the Toronto Police Service – says his inaugural
year has been marked by an urgency to combat gun violence but the
Service’s 7,200-member membership has answered the challenge, drawing
upon its resources and newly forged partnerships to reduce violence in
Toronto communities.
“If
I’m speaking of my first year, we have to talk about gun violence and
how we’ve responded to it,” says Blair, of the “Year of the Gun”
– an all-too-common phrase coined by the media. “We’ve been getting
the resources to put together a very comprehensive strategy.”
He
notes that the province has kicked in funds for an influx of new officers,
the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS) and an
inter-jurisdictional GTA anti-gang and weapons enforcement team made up of
officers and crown prosecutors.
TAVIS,
which sends intelligence, gun and drug squad officers into troubled areas,
followed by an influx of uniform police, is starting to take shape with
great results.
By
mid-March, TAVIS officers investigated close to 7,000 people, arrested
over 1,100 and seized 83 firearms.
“The
intervention and prevention pieces are starting to be put in place as part
of TAVIS,” Blair says, of mobilizing the community to work with police
– the final component of the strategy. “We’re developing
partnerships in the community.”
Not
only has the province backed police strategies, but the city has supported
efforts to bolster the number of officers on the job. The police budget
has also gone up through transparent budgeting and responsible spending.
“They
trust us to do something valuable with it,” he says, of the
contributions by the city and the province. “We’re handling our budget
as carefully as we can; overwhelmingly, the investment we’re trying to
make is putting people on the street.”
Uniform
presence
It
makes good sense to get officers on the streets, says Blair, noting 200
serving officers have been shifted to uniform positions to improve police
visibility and public safety.
Our
uniform presence in communities deters criminal behaviour, reassures the
public, reduces fear, maintains order and makes neighbourhoods safe,” he
says.
“This
is the mission I’ve set for myself in the first year. I am placing more
emphasis on uniform policing and community policing and community
problem-solving.”
In
addition, 250 new officers are being hired this year in addition to
replacing all those who are retiring. He says it will not only increase
divisional resources but allow specialized and investigative units to get
new officers.
“We’ve
been hiring at maximum capacity,” says Blair, of the first police
staffing increase in seven years.
“We’re
now being adequately staffed to do the jobs we need to do to make the
community safer,” he says, of delivering more officers to troubled
neighbourhoods has people wanting to see even more.
During
31 Division’s Project 14, the community welcomed a huge influx of
uniform officers on the streets, reducing the number of complaints while
raising the number of officers.
He
would like to see experienced officers assigned to specific neighbourhoods
help solve problems before they fester. “It’s a role that requires
skill and experience.”
With
a flood of new people, experience is a challenge that needs to be
addressed by leaders at the divisions, given them a renewed responsibility
to engage new officers.
On
May 4, 147 new officers will be welcomed into the fold, bringing with them
various languages, culture and educational backgrounds. “We’re
acquiring for our Service people with language skills and people who
understand other cultures,” he says. “We’re not hiring diverse
people because we want to somehow mirror the image of the community but to
serve that community.”
The
challenge doesn’t end at recruiting and hiring and training. The onus is
on people at the divisions to coach the officers in a positive
environment, says the Chief, adding that newly minted constables are
brimming with vigour and skills like no other generation.
“The
only way to keep them enthusiastic is to expose them to good
leadership,” he says.
“We’re
starting with excellent people and making them excellent police officers
– it keeps us busy.”
Blair
says that the Service evolves with society.
“The
diversity of the city becomes woven into the fabric of who we are,’ he
says. “It’s not static. Our organization changes with every generation
of police officers.”
New
leadership
The
Chief says that organizing a new command with the creation of four deputy
positions is a time-consuming process that continues to pay dividends.
“We
have a very strong command team,” he says. “I expect that to filter
down to staff superintendents and sergeants and bring them together as a
team.”
He
says this approach is not intended to be a warm and fuzzy one but a
methodology which brings accountability to the table.
“It’s
about making better use of information and criminal intelligence so
we’re doing the right things in the right areas at the right times,”
Blair says.
“We’ve
always been good at measuring outputs,” he says of keeping stats on
contact cards, charges laid and so forth. “We also have to look at the
outcomes required – the reduction of crime, the reduction of violence
and a better quality of life.”
He
says the STATCOM system, which informs and holds accountable unit
commanders for their budgets, staffing and lowering of crime is a great
tool for the future.
He
is also heartened by a renewed promotional process that has seen 200
people move up in the policing ranks.
“We
changed our promotional process to make them more inclusive, to allow more
people to participate in them, to involve more people in the selection
process,” he says. “The process is more accessible, open and
transparent – we’ve tried to make the exams more relevant to the areas
where people are being promoted.”
There
is also a new collection of unit commanders eager to take on their new
roles. Of 17 divisions, 13 have new commanders, while eight of the nine
squads have new leadership.
“There
is a greater emphasis on community problem-solving and crime
prevention,” he says.
Being
Chief
Being
top cop has suited him, even if it does leave him open to criticism in the
headlines.
“It’s
inevitable, there’re going to be critics,” says Blair, noting that
those well-informed of the work of the police are supportive. “The truth
is that criticism is a small part of the feedback we get.”
He
has also had to discipline officers involved in a job action late last
year. He says that enforcing the laws and procedures of the land is a
responsibility all officers take on giving the example of handing out a
traffic ticket – it’s not an indictment of a person’s character but
a necessary reprimand.
“We
have the responsibility to enforce traffic laws – nobody enjoys getting
a ticket – but we know there is a good reason to do it,” he says.
At
the end of the day, he says that the opportunity to be the top cop has
been a rewarding experience.
“It’s
a great feeling to be Chief. I feel a great sense of pride and
accomplishment in putting together the command and watching the people
grow into their positions,” he says.
“It’s
gratifying seeing the people in this organization exceed and excel and
I’m proud of the people doing extraordinary things.”
As
Chief, he’s out in the community a great deal, and the feedback is good.
“It’s
overwhelmingly gratifying to hear what people have to say about this
organization, the admiration, the respect, it’s reputation nationally
and internationally and the quality of people we have.”
