The union representing Windsor police officers is pushing for mandatory minimum staffing levels on the front lines after a recent patrol shift dropped to what they describe as concerning levels.
On a weekend in October, Windsor Police Association (WPA) president Kent Rice said there were only 13 front-line officers working on a shift, “which is dangerously low.”
“That puts people in jeopardy, puts people in harm’s way. And when I say that, it means our response times, that means the community itself,” said Rice.
Rice wants to see police administration, and the board, put mandatory minimums in place for front-line officers. The situation last month wasn’t the first time it’s happened, he said.
The Windsor Police Service and the Windsor Police Services Board did not respond to CBC’s request for comments.
During a special meeting of council on Monday, police board chair Jo-Anne Gignac said “policing costs are getting uncontrollable.”
At the same time, mandatory minimums could mean additional policing costs. The service would be paying more overtime or bringing in more officers.
Across the province, formal mandatory policing minimums are not very common, according to the Police Association of Ontario (PAO), a group that represents police unions.
But president Mark Baxter said more local associations seem to be asking for these patrol minimums.
“What we do see in police services where the police association is calling for minimum staffing levels, that is that is a result of the police association not having confidence that resources are being deployed appropriately by the chief of police,” said Baxter.
Staffing shortages are an issue across Canada, and certainly not unique to Windsor.
Rice said Windsor police is a younger police service, so some may be off on parental leave. Others may be taking a sick day, be off due to a long-term injury sustained on the job, mandatory training or stress leave, he added.
At the same time, fewer people are applying to become a police officer, so recruiting adds another layer to what the PAO calls a staffing crisis.
No provincial standard for police staffing
There are no provincial minimums or recommended standards when it comes to resourcing police departments in different communities, according to Baxter.
He referenced Chatham-Kent police as officers who patrol a smaller population size, but very large geographic area. So, the staffing that works there may not work in more of an urban setting.
Even the Ministry of the Solicitor General isn’t weighing in on police resources.
“Local police services determine how best to provide policing to their communities,” said a spokesperson with the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
Mandatory minimums exist in few police services in Ont.
Both the Niagara Regional Police Service and the London Police Service are two of the few services in Ontario that have mandatory minimum staffing levels.
“These standards are in place to ensure adequate coverage and to maintain officer and public safety. As this matter relates directly to operational deployment and resourcing, we are not in a position to comment further,” said Stephanie Sabourin, manager of corporate communications, with the Niagara Regional Police Service.
London police also declined to comment, but for a different reason, stating the mandatory minimums are a part of a collective agreement between the union and the board, not the service.
Sgt. Gareth Harris, who’s also the president of the London Police Association (LPA), said their mandatory minimum has been in place since at least 2001, when he arrived.
Without minimums, ‘deficiencies’ would exist on the front lines
Currently, it’s a requirement that 42 front-line patrol officers be working on all weekend day shifts and all night shifts.
During a weekday, Harris says the service set its own minimum to 36 officers, but that’s not formalized in the collective agreement.
Sometimes those minimums aren’t met, but if they weren’t in place Harris said the situation would be worse.
“I think we would continue to have deficiencies on the front line,” said Harris.
“It becomes a challenge and a safety issue for our members because we don’t have enough front-line personnel working in the road and responding to the calls for service, including emergency calls for service that come in on a daily basis.”
When those minimums aren’t met, Harris said it’s up to the chief of police to step in and allocate resources appropriately. Overall, he said the service is “doing a good job” trying to meet those minimums.
Minimums in London are also critical because of the sheer number of calls for service, Harris said.
At the start of a new shift, there could be upwards of 200 calls in the queue waiting for officers to respond, he added.
In Windsor, Rice said there are minimums in place for the police 911 communication centre and is puzzled why they continue to not exist for officers.
“If we’re going to say we need a service and we have minimums in place for our communications [staff] who are going to be taking in the calls, we should also have minimums or at least mandatory requirements for the members are going to respond to those same calls,” said Rice.
Another difference exists in Amherstburg, which Windsor began policing in 2019, where there is a minimum of four officers on shift, Rice said.
