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“When you tie their hands, restrict their abilities, remove the necessary tools and cut staffing the results are inevitable,” he added.

With 54 homicides so far this year, 27 by guns, Toronto is on pace to surpass its record high of 86 murders set in 1991 as well as potentially topping the record of 52 gun killings seen in 2005 — the Year of the Gun.

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“The mayor should be thanking Mark for his 37 years of service to the city and asking to sit down with him to hear what he has to say about tackling the gun violence,” one officer, who asked not to be named, told the Sun on Tuesday.

“Instead he meets with rappers and hip-hop artists to ask for advice.”

Tory has also publicly accused the Toronto Police Association president of being behind Hayward’s letter, an allegation Mike McCormack has flatly denied.

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“Is that his strategy to fight guns and gangs, blame Mike McCormack?” the police union boss asked rhetorically.

“When you’re attacking the messenger, not the message, you’re on the wrong path.”

McCormack said the “organic” letter, which “hit a nerve” with a lot of officers, has nothing to do with the TPA and everything to do with “public safety.”

Photo by Ernest Doroszuk / Toronto Sun

“We support Mark Hayward unequivocally,” he said, reiterating a message that was sent out across the service on Monday.

Former police union boss Craig Bromell, who sat at the helm of the TPA from 1997 to 2003, believes it’s a mistake for the “decision-makers” like the mayor and police chief to “ignore” Hayward’s letter and focus on pursuing disciplinary action because the road sergeant’s views are shared by many others cops.