London police want budget increased to $171M in 4 years to reverse 'dangerous' city trend

London is the third most dangerous city in Ontario, with one of the least staffed police forces, warned Chief Thai Truong. It's the message he hopes city council hears when it reviews a four-year, $171-million budget presented to the public for the first time Monday. 

"The current state of safety in this city is completely unacceptable," Truong told the London Police Services Board members at a special meeting. 

The 2024 to 2027 budget recommends adding 189 new positions, including 97 new officers, and a new service delivery model. Truong and the board believe it would improve response times, give officers better equipment and vehicles, modernize policing technologies, and introduce a next-generation 911 reporting centre and a joint training campus with the London Fire Department. 

The total operating budget also includes additional cases to address needs like infrastructure. If approved, it would be a 30 per cent increase from 2024 to 2027. A breakdown of the costs per year is as follows: 

• $146,642,726 in 2024. 
• $157,876,861 in 2025.
• $163,917,567 in 2026.
• $171,129,651 in 2027.

Board members unanimously approved the proposed budget, and echoed the urgency to win back public trust and tackle the community's frustration at slow response times. 

"It's been very challenging and stressful knowing that we're not providing the level of service that the citizens here deserve," said Truong, adding that staff morale at the police service is also at an all-time low. 

He explained officers can't be proactive in their investigations because they're occupied with a lengthy call queue, which Truong said was around 200 during the board meeting alone. 

"Everybody is handcuffed right now, and we're not able to respond the way we need to. Our members need the tools and equipment so they can make this city safer." 

Increased crime rates don't create an environment for investment and job creation, said Mayor Josh Morgan, explaining his support for what he called "an aggressive budget."

"When you have the Chief say we're one of the most unsafe cities in the province, that requires action," he said. "Some people have even given up trying to call because they don't think police will come."  

'Not going to be an easy sell to city council': mayor

Truong presented statistics highlighting how much London lags behind other police services in the province. After Toronto and Ottawa, London has received the greatest number of service complaints against police, he said. 

Fatal car crashes jumped 90 per cent this year from 2022, and there has been a significant increase in shootings across the city. There have been 25 shootings this year, which Truoung said is expected to surpass 28 shootings in 2021, a year with the most shootings.

Despite that, Morgan believes this will be a difficult budget process for city councillors and taxpayers to navigate. 

"This is not going to be an easy sell to city council and we need to engage with them to show them why these recommendations are made," he said, emphasizing the importance of transparency.

"What are the changes in public safety metrics that the public is going to see? We are going to report on those openly, transparently, and often so the public can see that the money being asked for is producing results they want to see." 

The budget will be tabled Dec. 12 and Londoners can give their feedback until the end of January before a decision is made in early 2024.