The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has announced the deployment of 80 additional staff members to counter the sharp increase in violent incidents that the public carrier has experienced in recent days.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of a Friday press conference that included Mayor John Tory, TTC Chief Executive Rick Leary, TTC Chairman Jon Burnside, and City Police Chief Myron Demkiw.
Officers will be mandated to patrol the metro, bus routes and streetcars during rush hour, on a regular basis. These agents will also be “highly noticeable” to users, as the CTT explained.
“The TTC must be safe for everyone – passengers and employees,” said Mayor Tory, according to The Toronto Star. “We continue to work with the TTC, Toronto Police and [les différents syndicats] to ensure we respond to requests as quickly as possible.”
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said security is the police force’s “number one priority” right now.
The number of violent incidents has greatly increased on Toronto’s public transit system. The city has been able to accumulate at least one every day in the last week, a great source of concern for many users.
Last Saturday, two teenagers fired an air rifle at a bus driver. On Monday, a group of teenagers assaulted two employees on a bus. On Tuesday, a woman was stabbed in the face and head on a streetcar. On Wednesday, a teenager suffered serious injuries after being stabbed on a bus. On Thursday, four teenagers fired an air rifle at a woman in the subway. And on Friday, a man was attacked by a group of individuals on a bus, while another was pushed down the stairs of a metro station.
The CTT says it is dedicated to training its employees to try to prevent this type of event, to ensure the safety and well-being of employees and customers who use this means of transport.