Crime and Safety - An Update on the Toronto Police Service Modernization Plan

As our City continues to grow and change, so must our approaches to combatting crime and improving neighbourhood safety. While Toronto has been ranked the safest city in North America, community safety remains my top priority as your City Councillor for Ward 15 – Don Valley West.

In my May 2019 newsletter, I included an update on The Way Forward – Toronto Police Services' (TPS) comprehensive and transformational modernization plan. While my previous article focused on the creation of the Neighbourhood Policing Program (NPP), I want to provide you with additional information on the broader TPS modernization strategy.

The Transformational Task Force has created an Action Plan to improve the police force's operational structure by optimizing the use of technology to enhance capacity and capability in the force. Officers will be provided with mobile computer workstations, GPS systems, and smartphone mobile devices that will ensure they are fully connected to the communities they're working in. This update lends itself particularly well to the NPP, which will assign specialized officers to individual neighbourhoods so they can familiarize themselves with the unique needs of a community.

Mobile computer workstations will allow officers to remain active in the community while completing routine duties like paperwork and reports, rather than requiring them to commute back and forth from the Police Station. This initiative will improve response times and ensure that more officers are present in our neighbourhoods.

Finally, smartphone mobile technologies will eliminate the use of radios and paper note-taking, which are still widely used throughout the force. Officers will use mobile devices to return phone calls, send emails, and record information without returning to the station. Smartphones may also be used to take official photographs that can be used during investigations.

For more information and to read the full Action Plan, please visit the TPS website here.

Thanks to the Lawrence Park Ratepayers' Association and The Neighbourhood Watch for hosting the Crime and Safety Meeting – it was great to engage with the community on such an important topic.