Good afternoon, Chair, Vice-Chair, members of the standing committee and legislative staff. Thank you for allowing me to take part in your pre-budget consultations.
My name is Clayton Campbell, and I'm the president of the Toronto Police Association. The TPA represents more than 8,000 members of the Toronto Police Service, including frontline police officers, special constables, criminal investigators, community response officers and civilian members. Our police members cannot speak on matters publicly. They must remain impartial in the execution of their duties. Today, I'm here to speak for them. I'm also here to advocate for the communities we serve, because there's little difference between what we want, as police members, and what our communities want: safe and healthy neighbourhoods. The fact is that safe and healthy neighbourhoods need well-staffed police services. Right now, our numbers are dangerously insufficient.
Using Toronto as an example, our population has grown by more than 20% since 2010, while the number of police officers has decreased by 2%. Over the same time—since 2010—our percentage of the City of Toronto's budget has decreased by almost 3%. This deficit has a direct impact on how and when we deliver basic policing services to the public. We receive more than two million calls for service every year in Toronto, but our response time for the most urgent emergency calls is almost 18 minutes. That is unacceptable. There are simply not enough members to respond properly.
Although issues with recruitment and retention are directly tied to our battle with the City of Toronto and the Toronto Police Service Board refusing to pay our members what they deserve, we believe there is a role for the federal government. For instance, the 2025 budget could prioritize setting up a comprehensive strategy aimed at enhancing police recruitment nationwide. This strategy could highlight the positive aspects of a career in law enforcement and the diverse opportunities available within police services across Canada.
I would also be remiss if I did not mention that the lack of police resources is only one contributing factor to our community's sense of well-being. This is in large part due to the increase of gun violence and the prevalence of repeat violent offenders out of custody, on our streets.
On gun violence, efforts must be focused on the criminal use of firearms. I am not aware of any evidence that gun bans are effective in reducing gun violence, and Toronto is a strong example of that. So far this year, we have experienced a 43% increase in shootings, and the number of gun-related homicides has grown by 67%. Our members have seized approximately 600 crime guns. At least 85% of those can be traced to the United States. The federal government's gun regulations cost millions of dollars, but it's only a burden for lawful gun owners. We call on the federal government to end the handgun ban and the so-called buyback program with this budget, and to redirect those resources to all police agencies—not just the RCMP and CBSA—in order to address the influx of illegally smuggled firearms.
When it comes to bail reform, change is desperately needed. It is a daily occurrence for our members to arrest someone out on bail. They're being released back into our community only moments after committing very violent offences, such as carjackings and gun-related crimes. I am imploring the federal government, through this budget, to stop placating us with the system you think we need, and to give us the system we're asking for. At the very least, if you're not going to make the legislative changes needed, invest in the enforcement we need to keep tabs on those released into our communities. In Toronto, we used to have robust bail compliance units. Without adequate funding to maintain these units, the responsibility falls on local divisions. As I already mentioned, they are just barely managing to provide basic policing services.
In closing, there's no doubt you will receive thousands of recommendations during this period. While no voice should be larger than the other, I think it's safe to say that our suggestions would be echoed by many other police services and associations across the country.
Again, thank you for the invitation. I welcome any questions you may have.