Amid all that's wrong with Toronto these days, there's one vitally
important area where this city is doing rather well — deterring crime.
Falling crime rate belies tough talk
Residents are safer today than they have been for years, according to
a series of statistics released in recent months. Ironically, though, residents don't recognize that and don't feel any
more secure. In the eyes of many, Toronto is overrun by child molesters
and heavily armed gangs. There's a sense that danger lurks outside every
front door. There's no sound reason for that siege mentality. But that
hasn't stopped some candidates for Toronto mayor from capitalizing on
people's fear and promising dramatic new spending on police.
Claiming to answer a serious need, John Tory and John Nunziata both
vow they would hire 400 police officers. That would cost about $40
million, with the province, hopefully, picking up part of the bill. In
addition, Nunziata wants to spend $100,000 on each Toronto police
division, for community outreach. This is money the city doesn't have.
And other needs are more pressing. A deficit looms; transit is in
crisis; roads, bridges and sewers are crumbling; public health is
ailing, and Toronto's financial reserves are depleted.
Compared to other departments, the city's police service has been
lucky. Since 1998, its budget has risen more than 20 per cent. The
average homeowner now pays $431.20 toward policing — that's out of a
city hall property tax bill of $1,936. Police are the largest cost
covered by that bill. Fire services come next, at $186.48, just a
fraction of what's spent on police.
In campaign speeches, Tory paints a picture of a shrinking police
force, starved by politicians but bravely struggling to do its job. “The
police are not able to keep up,” he told a business gathering this past
week. “The police force has been reduced in size over the last number of
years.”
Yes, Toronto's police service was larger at one time — back in the
early 1990s, before Bob Rae took power at Queen's Park. But it has grown
over the past five years, even as crime rates have tumbled. Toronto
fielded 5,119 uniformed officers last year, up from 4,900 four years
earlier — hardly the “diminished” service described by Tory.
It is arguable whether the city really needs another 400 officers at
this time. The falling crime rate doesn't seem to warrant that kind of
expansion. Despite perceptions of looming danger, last year saw a
6.5-per-cent drop in robberies of all types, a 10-per-cent dip in bank
robberies, an 11-per-cent decline in apartment break-ins, and a
5-per-cent drop in assaults. It's part of a multi-year trend showing
reductions in most crime.
Toronto's homicide rate has held steady, at about 60 a year, making
it one of the safest cities of its size in North America. Vancouver,
Montreal, Edmonton and Winnipeg all had higher homicide rates last year.
So did smaller centres, such as Sudbury, Regina and Thunder Bay.
This doesn't mean we should be complacent and ignore crime. Even one
assault or break-in is too many. It also doesn't mean we should refuse
to back Toronto police when they seek money for legitimate policing
needs.
But there may be more innovative, and cheaper, ways of addressing the
problem. For example, instead of spending millions on added police
patrols, Toronto might be better served by expanding recreation
programs, school outreach, counselling, and facilities geared toward
getting young people — especially bored young men — off the street.
Statistics show that youths commit crime at levels disproportionate to
their number.
Investing in those young people may, ultimately, yield more results
than costly crackdowns.
21 October 2003
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