TORONTO — The Greater Toronto Area’s five police services will soon have hired a total of 531 new police officers as a result of the McGuinty government’s Safer Communities – 1,000 Officers Partnership program, Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Monte Kwinter said today.

“Our government is on the side of Ontario families concerned about crime and safety, and the police who help keep us safe,” Kwinter said.  “We’re investing more than $37 million annually in this program to help police services hire 1,000 new police officers throughout the province.”

Kwinter presented representatives of the five GTA Police Services Boards with a cheque for $5,963,999.65 as part of the McGuinty government’s commitment to make Ontario communities safer.  The cheque is the first instalment of provincial funding for the municipality under the program.

“We would like to thank Minister Kwinter for responding to a very real community need through this Safer Communities – 1000 Officers Partnership program and its promised sustained funding from the provincial government,” said Bernie Morelli, president of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards.

The five GTA police services already have 208 officers on duty as a result of the program, and another 239 completed their training at the Ontario Police College in July.  It is expected that another 84 news officers will be hired before the end of the year.

The province is investing in the salary-related costs for these new officers, up to a maximum of $35,000 per officer per year, with the balance coming from the municipalities.

“These new officers represent an investment in the safety of our communities across the province,” said Chief Terry McLaren, president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.  “This provincial funding is critical to helping our police services meet the diverse community safety needs of all our citizens.”

The McGuinty government provided $14 million in additional funding this year to allow municipalities to hire their full complement of new officers under the Safer Communities – 1,000 Officers Partnership program this year, if they chose to do so.

Half of the 1,000 new officers are assigned to community policing duties such as street patrols, improved traffic enforcement and school visits.  The other 500 officers are assigned to priority areas identified by the government in its fight against crime in Ontario:

• Organized crime and marijuana grow operations
• Guns and gangs
• Youth crime
• Dangerous offenders
• Domestic violence
• Protecting children from Internet luring and child pornography.

With the $37.1 million in annual funding for the Safer Communities - 1,000 Officers Partnership program and continued support for the Community Policing Partnership program, the McGuinty government now spends approximately $68 million every year, and in perpetuity, to help municipalities employ more than 2,000 police officers.

“Being on the side of Ontario families means giving police the tools necessary to make our communities safer,” said Kwinter.

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