How long you can expect to wait for police in London on the rise
Police response times are suffering in London as officers face increasingly complex calls for help.
On Thursday, the London Police Services Board received the 2020 Annual Report on policing, including average response times to 911 calls.
The highest priority calls (Code 1), life-threatening emergencies, now take an average of nine minutes between calling 911 and the arrival of a police officer.
Urgent calls of a non-life-threatening crime in progress now takes two hours and 44 minutes on average, and the response to non-urgent calls averages over 13-and-a-half hours.
“That’s very valuable time. Evidence, life and health are at risk,” says Rick Robson on behalf of the London Police Association (LPA), the union that represents officers.
Deputy Chief Stuart Betts told the police board that response times reflect the rising complexity of policing.
“The nature of the calls has changed,” explained Betts. “The complexity has increased, and it's part of an overall increasing degree of complexity in the justice system.”
Since 2011, the average time spent on each police call has risen 27 per cent, to two hours and 41 minutes.
(Source: 2020 Annual Report to London Police Services Board)
(Source: 2020 Annual Report to London Police Services Board)
The LPA says the situation is taking a toll on officers.
“Our officers are burning out,” admits Robson. “They cannot continue to go significant call to significant call and continue to have 50 to 100 calls waiting in the queue for them.”
The nine-minute response for “lights and siren” emergency calls represents the time between a 911 call is placed and an officer arriving on scene, including two minutes and thirty-five seconds (average) that the caller speaks to an operator before police are dispatched.
(Source: 2020 Annual Report to London Police Services Board)
(Source: 2020 Annual Report to London Police Services Board)
Unlike fire and ambulance service, there is no target for police response times.
Betts says in part that’s because police are dispatched from vehicles in the field rather than neighbourhood stations.
Betts and Robson agree that speeding up response times will require system-wide change.
“Unless there is a change from police being the front line for mental health and other social ills, the only other answer is more resources,” says Robson.
“Quite frankly, adding more officers will make an impact, but it won’t make a defining impact,” explains Betts. “There are more things we can do like adding technology that will allow us to be in the right place at the right times.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.