The Toronto police budget request is pegged at $1.2 billion for 2020, a proposed 3.9-per-cent increase Chief Mark Saunders says is needed to cover salary pressures, fund new and enhanced initiatives and hire 341 new officers.

Saunders’ draft budget request, which still has to be cleared by the police board before it can be put before council for its approval, features a $40.8-million increase over the 2019 approved budget.

About $28.9 million of the suggested spending increase will cover negotiated salary and benefit responsibilities, according to a police statement.

“We are adding resources to improve public safety, address pedestrian and traffic safety, and building stronger partnerships through the expansion of our Neighbourhood Community Officer Program,” Saunders stated.

If approved, it would mark the second time in two years that the budget would exceed $1 billion. This year was the first time that happened since 2016.

Funding for police is the largest single line item in the city’s $13-billion operating budget. In 2018, the average Toronto homeowner contributed $682 to policing from their property taxes, or a quarter of their property tax tab.

Mayor John Tory said the draft budget is just starting the city’s vetting process, but he’s satisfied that the budget going to the board’s budget committee next week focuses on increasing community safety and continuing to modernize the police service.

“Supporting the police is an essential part of the city’s ongoing response to gun violence along with investments in communities to address the roots of violence …,” Tory said.

He stressed that about 40 of the new officers will be neighbourhood officers, who will be embedded in neighbourhoods for four years. Gun violence is at a record level in Toronto. As of Monday, 264 people had been killed or injured in shootings this year, the highest total since 2004, when police began collecting data.

Other features of the budget include the rollout of body cameras and a dedicated traffic enforcement unit focused on the city’s Vision Zero traffic plan. Thirty-seven pedestrians have been killed on Toronto roads this year.

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Jason Miller is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Reach him on email: jasonmiller@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @millermotionpic

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