London lawyer appointed to police services board

Ali Chahbar has been chosen to sit on the London Police Services Board, beginning his service at a time when tensions on the front lines of the force are strained. 

The lawyer, who is legal counsel for the Thames Valley District School Board and named one of London's Top 20 Under 40 in 2019, was sworn in for an initial two-month term on Monday. The three-year appointment is pending approval. 

"Ali Chahbar is a dedicated Londoner, a brilliant lawyer, and loving husband and father. Ali Chahbar will be an asset to the Board and community and I look forward to working with him," said board chair Susan Toth. 

The job won't be without its challenges. Chief Steve Williams has spoken recently about the heavy workload for officers and the increased level of burn out they're experiencing.

Londoners are also seeing a lag in response times to 911 calls as officers deal with a 96 per cent increase in non-life-threatening calls.

In recent days, the union held a vote of non-confidence against the chief, though at the time of publication, the union had declined comment on the motivation.

"The approach I intend on taking is to take the time to educate myself, find out what the issues are so I can make informed decisions," Chahbar said Monday.

Chahbar has sat on multiple boards in London, including the Boys and Girls Club of London and the Elgin Middlesex London Crime Stoppers. He's been a guest speaker on human rights issues and on combating Islamophobia. 

"Local boards are always benefited when they can bring a multiplicity of perspectives to see things through different lenses. One of those lenses is most definitely diversity," Chahbar said. 

His father, Ab A. Chahbar, served on the police services board from 2006 to 2009.