London police chief makes case for second armoured vehicle

London’s police chief recently offered more justification for his budget request to purchase a second light-armoured vehicle (LAV).

Chief Thai Truong’s comments included a blunt assessment about safety in London.

“In 2051, we’re looking at an estimated 650,000 people in London,” Truong explained after the most recent meeting of the London Police Services Board (LPSB). “If we’re not planning now, I can tell you that we will not be safe in two years, four years, six years, [or] 10 years.”

A business case submitted to the 2024-2027 municipal budget includes the purchase of a second LAV at a cost of $492,200 in 2026.

“It’s not a LAV that is extravagant [or] high-end. It is a LAV. We are looking at the most efficient way to provide the safest workplace for our members, protect our members, and the city,” Truong explained.

Currently, the London Police Service has a single light-armoured vehicle for deployment to incidents where a suspect might have a firearm.

Truong said there are tactical reasons to have a second.

“For our officers to contain crisis points and individuals that are violent and armed, [we] really need a minimum two areas of protection and cover. The LAV provides for that,” he said.

That tactical need for an additional LAV was apparent during a violent rampage on Glenroy Road in July.

According to an investigation by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), London police responded to a series of violent attacks that included one victim being shot in the face.

Police used their LAV to contain the armed suspect in a garage and simultaneously blocked a pickup truck in the driveway.

The 35-year-old gunman was shot dead after pointing his gun at the armoured vehicle in what the SIU determined was a justified use of force.

The budget report also suggests that a second LAV will serve as a back-up when the current vehicle is undergoing maintenance.

“It protects our tactical officers, it protects our uniform officers, who are our front line, but it also protects the citizens,” Truong explained.

Members of the public can share their budget priorities with city hall at a series of public meetings this month.

Council will deliberate the 2024-2027 municipal budget in February.