The strong voice of a great community
April 2006

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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.”