Police put 80 officers on the TTC a month ago. Has it made the transit system any safer?
Officers assigned in late January following surge of violent incidents on TTC property
It's been just over a month since 80 police officers were placed across Toronto's transit system in response to a recent surge in violent acts on the system, but how much of a difference that's making depends on who you ask.
TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said the transit agency is still collecting and verifying data about violent incidents that have occurred since the start of the program. And a number of transit safety advocates have raised their own questions about the value of the move, how long it will continue and how it will be funded.
But Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw says a number of arrests have already made as a direct result of the enhanced police presence.
At a meeting of the Toronto police board last week, Demkiw listed a number of examples.
On Feb. 6, a suspect was arrested by officers patrolling Bloor-Yonge station and charged in a string of sexual assaults that allegedly occurred on the transit system.
On Feb. 28, officers also stopped an alleged attempted robbery outside Pioneer Village station involving two suspects, he said.
"These are just a couple of examples of a number of incidents in how we have made direct impact on crime occurring on our transit system," he said.
'A reactionary measure,' advocate says
But some advocates question whether the program is making a significant impact, saying the money could be better spent.
"Increased policing is just a reactionary measure," said August Puranauth, a transit advocate with TTCriders. "It does not do anything to directly address the root causes of crime."
Puranauth told CBC Toronto the group is concerned the move may do more harm than good in the long run.
"Per the TTC's own reports, more policing on the system will actually make it more unsafe for people who are Black or Indigenous because they often are more likely to get into incidents with the police," Puranauth said.
As an alternative, they said the TTC should be increasing service rather than decreasing it, as is planned for later this month. More frequent service will lead to less waiting, less frustration with the system and ultimately less violence, Puranauth said.
They also advocated for adding more regular staff to the system, a move Coun. Gord Perks agrees with.
"Those kinds of jobs serve multiple purposes. They make the system more welcoming, but they also put more eyes on the system," Perks said. "This rush to automate everything and to reduce the number of employees has secondary impacts in terms of our safety and security."
The city councillor also said adding more police to the system is not a sustainable plan.
"Having some kind of police officer or security guard on literally every vehicle … that's just something we can't afford. No city can afford that," Perks said.
Police, TTC looking at funding options for beyond March
The Toronto police service has provided funding for the additional officers throughout February and that will continue until March 26. TPS and the TTC are assessing future funding options together, according to the transit agency's Community Safety Issues and Response report released on Feb. 28.
Cameron MacLeod, the executive director of transit advocacy group CodeRedTo, thinks the discussion about officers on the TTC is a distraction from larger systemic issues that need to be addressed.
"The TTC can't be a housing agency. The TTC can't be a mental health agency," he told CBC Toronto.
"I'd like to see the city and the province and the federal government look at other social services that we have and treat them properly, fund them properly, so the TTC doesn't have to do the job of other agencies while it's also getting [its] budget cut," MacLeod said.
He feels police aren't equipped to address what he views as the root causes behind the increase in violence in public spaces.
"Paying overtime to a bunch of police officers to make up for failings of mental health supports or housing supports is maybe not a good use of the budget overall," MacLeod said.
However, at last week's TPS board meeting, Demkiw made assurances that his officers have helped people in crisis on a number of occasions.
"We're not just there to enforce," he said. "We're also there to prevent and to assist."
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