By JOE BELANGER
May 22, 2008
London FreePress
A "critical" staffing crisis has put the OPP and the public at risk, warns the head of the provincial force's union.
In a blunt letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty, Karl Walsh, president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association, is demanding immediate action to add up to 500 frontline officers.
"The (officers) are reaching the breaking point," Walsh said in the letter obtained by The Free Press.
"You have the obligation to provide the funding to fix this problem . . . Simply put, the OPP is critically understaffed, placing the safety of both the public and officers at risk."
In an interview, Walsh said officers are being left alone in some remote detachments with backup often an hour away.
In Wassaga Beach this summer, for example, Walsh said the detachment will have 18 fewer officers.
"That's a recipe for disaster," he said. "We're operating on a shoestring and it's ready to snap."
A spokesperson for Rick Bartolucci, minister of community safety and correctional services, said the government is aware of the issue.
"He takes the concerns of the OPP very seriously and recognizes the challenges that exist," said Laura Blondeau.
Blondeau said the province has hired 200 OPP officers since 2003, but Walsh says the force has 270 fewer officers now than then, based on recent staffing models.
"We're not going to dispute the numbers because we're in agreement that there are challenges and we're certainly not in opposition," said Blondeau.
He said the province is still pushing the federal government to follow through with its promise to fund 2,500 new police officers.
That promise has met opposition from provinces and police chiefs because the funding runs out in five years.
But opposition critics jumped on the issue, slamming the Liberals for inaction that's fueled the crisis.
Conservative critic MPP Garfield Dunlop rejected the government's effort to point the finger at the feds.
"It's Ontario's police force and the OPP have to have the resources to properly police the province," he said, adding McGuinty has known about the problem for two years.
"The reality is the federal money is not sustainable."
Walsh and Dunlop said the staff shortage becomes even worse when dozens, sometimes hundreds, of OPP officers are called in to police native protests, such as at Caledonia and Deseronto.
"It costs the OPP extra money and when they are in Caledonia or Deseronto, they're not on the streets in a lot of communities," said Dunlop.
New Democrat critic Peter Kormos said Walsh's message "is clear, powerful language."
Kormos also rejected the government's excuse it's waiting for federal funding.
"It's a life and death (issue) and it's reached a dramatic level," said Kormos.
"You can't play politics holding out for federal funding that may or may not come. Lives are put at risk -- police lives and civilian lives."
Kormos touched on a key issue raised by Walsh who said the OPP are more "reactive" than proactive in trying to prevent crime.
"It's not just about less police presence on our streets and highways," said Kormos. "But a lot of crime, such as impaired driving, will go undetected."
OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino conceded the force is short staffed.
"We know we have shortages in some places," he said, adding the issue is still being studied and a business plan will be presented to the government.
"We're trying to get a handle on the shortage and we're not there yet. There are shortages. We can't deny that. But I don't want to just say 'We're short.' I want to be able to identify where we're short and why we're short."