New London police contract will add $33M to budget: Chief
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A recently negotiated contract for London police employees that includes a 13 per cent raise during a four-year period has added more than $33 million to the proposed police budget.
Police Chief Thai Truong presented the revised $672-million budget – representing a 34 per cent increase during four years, including a 16 per cent jump in the first year alone – to the city’s police board Thursday.
Truong said he and his finance team, including his two deputies, spent days combing through the budget for potential savings, but the chief said they couldn’t find anything to cut that wouldn’t jeopardize public safety.
“Although we tried our best, it was impossible to cut anything, unless we were going to cut personnel . . . because 95 per cent of the operating budget is salaries,” Truong told the board.
But cutting staff wasn’t an option for Truong, who plans to hire 189 officers and civilian employees as part of his plan to modernize the force and change the way service is delivered.
The chief’s budget update came shortly after one of his deputies presented the results from a public survey that found Londoners have lost both trust in and satisfaction with their police force.
The board unanimously approved the amended budget – just as the seven-member body did for the original budget in October – and praised Truong’s leadership.
“Although these numbers are large, they are what are needed to make our community safer,” board member Ryan Gauss said.
Last month, the police board and the London Police Association, the union representing the roughly 900 officers and civilian staffers, reached a new working agreement to replace the one that expired at the end of 2022. Under the old contact, a first-class constable made between $107,000 and $116,000 based on their experience.
Under the new agreement, wages will increase by five per cent in 2023, 3.5 per cent in 2024, 2.5 per cent in 2025 and two per cent in 2026. The deal also includes improved benefits to support wellness and mental health and the introduction of incentives for front-line and specialty unit officers.
Truong said he opted not to include an estimated cost from the new contract in the proposed $639-million budget he presented to the police board on Oct. 30. “To me, it’s inappropriate at a time where bargaining is occurring,” he said.
Before presenting the record-setting spending request in the fall, Truong delivered some sobering statistics to the board.
The chief revealed his force has the worst rate of laying charges in violent and property-related offences in Ontario; the average police response time for the least-pressing calls has increased by more than 100 hours in the last four years and officers are dishing out 80 per cent fewer traffic citations than they did in 2015. The force has the second-fewest officers per capita in Ontario and ranks third for complaints about service.
Truong blamed a lack of investment during the years for the dismal state of the force, calling it a “critical point” for policing in the city.
“If you don’t invest in police, you’re not investing in the community,” said Truong, who singled out public safety as his top priority when he was named London’s 21st top cop in the spring.
The police reputation survey made public Thursday appeared to confirm Truong’s concerns about the state of policing in the city.
The survey, conducted by Leger and based on a sample of 501 respondents, showed three of five respondents believed crime has increased during the past two years. The public’s perception of the London police reputation was down 11 points from two years ago and trust, satisfaction and the belief the public can influence police decisions had also dropped.
“Many of these findings are not a surprise to us but show us where we are and where we need to go,” deputy chief Trish McIntrye said, noting the survey that’s conducted every two years is just one measure of the public perception of police.
“And, again, it was started long before aggressive actions were taken by our chief and this board to make things better,” she said.
The proposed police budget still needs to win the approval of city council in March as part of the city’s overall budget.
dcarruthers@postmedia.com
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