The Ontario Labour Relations Board has turned down a Toronto police union bid to end the mandatory wearing of name tags by uniformed officers.

The Toronto Police Association, which represents 5,500 officers and 2,200 civilians, argued that the name tags, which display an officer’s first initial and last name, increase the risk of their being harmed.

But Ian Anderson, vice-chair of the OLRB, turned down the union’s appeal of an earlier decision by a labour ministry safety inspector.

“Policing is an inherently risky profession,” Anderson wrote in his Dec. 20 ruling. “The evidence does not establish that the wearing of name tags has been related to any material increase in that risk.”

About 90 Toronto police officers are facing disciplinary action for removing name tags from their uniforms during last June’s G20 summit of world leaders. Those officers will receive one-day suspensions without pay.

At a hearing before the board, the police union argued that in this electronic environment a name can be used to determine an officer’s home address, telephone numbers and other personal information.

The union said organized criminals, bikers, stalkers and others can and do use this information to harm officers.

It argued that the tags disproportionately endanger female officers or those from ethnic or religious minorities.

According to Toronto police statistics, serious offences committed against officers — ranging from attempted murder to assault — increased from 1,116 to 1,729 per year between 2003 and 2007.

The Toronto Police Services Board, which introduced the name tag requirement in 2006, opposed the union bid. The police board argued that the tags have not resulted in any “material increase” in risks to officers.

Anderson agreed.

Uniformed officers have long been required to wear their badge numbers, Anderson wrote. “I am satisfied that if a member of the public has the badge number for an officer of the TPS, they may, by making a phone call, obtain the officer’s name.”