Ottawa police will soon equip all officers with stun guns in a bid to keep both the public and officers themselves safe. The plan comes from a report presented at an Ottawa Police Service board meeting in late February.

The report lists several incidents in which stun gun use de-escalated a violent situation and likely reduced harm to an officer. The police service originally proposed expanding their stock of stun guns in 2014, eventually increasing training in 2015 and issuing 100 new units to officers by early 2016.

An analysis of Statistics Canada data shows that in 2016, assaults against Ottawa police dropped 14.8 per cent from the previous year.

Source: Statistics Canada, CANSIM 252-0077

It was initially a provincial decision to allow stun guns to be given to all front line officers. In 2013, the Ontario government expanded usage of the weapon from just supervisors and special units to all officers. The decision was left up to local forces — one that other police services besides Ottawa are considering. Last month, Toronto Police Services put forward a recommendation to expand the stun guns in the force’s possession by 400 units to protect the public and themselves.

An analysis of Statistics Canada data below shows the rate of assault against peace officers across Ontario’s most populated cities in 2015 and 2016. London had the highest rate of assaults — the city fired stun guns 62 times in 2016, up from 50 times in 2015.

The Ottawa police force will spend only 0.4 per cent of their salary budget to hire 23 more officers in a year slammed by increased gun violence. The numbers come from an analysis of the city’s 2018 budget and information released by the Ottawa Police Service. The additions close out the service’s three-year plan to boost the number of officers on the force.

Though Ottawa saw 13 shootings in January alone, the service could not confirm whether the new hires would directly combat heightened gunfire. The force claimed a formal request through Ontario’s freedom of information law was needed to reveal further details.

However, the Ottawa Police Service insist they are getting boots on the ground to address the issue.

“Out of the 75 hired over the past three years, 25 of them will work on priority areas. And right now, that priority is addressing gun violence,” said the service’s media relations manager Carole Lavigne over e-mail.

The service also said  three officers hired for events in 2017 would be assigned to full-time status this year, in addition to the 23 new officers. The new members will likely be added throughout the year and do not include officers hired to replace departing staff.

For some, this is not enough. Ottawa police association president Matt Skof believes the force is still short 200 to 300 officers.

“We are still in a position where we do not have sufficient resources to both patrol the city of Ottawa and do proactive policing,” Skof said.

He thinks the amount of time spent on calls, a rising population and the city’s failure to funnel more money into the service are contributing to a severely understaffed police service. In turn, Skof says there is “absolutely” a correlation between low officer numbers and increased gun violence.

“They’re simply shoring up a very depleted police department,” he said.

According to a draft budget report from late last year, the Ottawa Police Service plans to up its annual additions to 30 new officers a year.  Starting in 2019 and ending in 2021, the report lists guns and gangs as one of the areas that will benefit from extra staff.

But Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, chair of the Ottawa Police Service board, says the problem is “not a policing issue but rather a community issue.” Over e-mail, El-Chantiry explained that the “root causes” of gun violence need to be addressed and stressed that police were merely one part of the solution.

“As much as the community needs the police, the police need the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, anxious Ottawa residents are getting caught in the bureaucratic crossfire.

“Bullets travel a long way. If there are shots that are being fired, 300 metres away, 400 metres away, something very tragic could happen. And that’s what people are concerned about,” said John Marshall, president of the Canterbury Community Association

Marshall said his Alta Vista community has seen more gang-related gun play in the past two months than they ever have before.

“It’s something that’s just smacked us in the face,” he said.

Marshall wants police and other city officials to do more about the increased violence, but said the service has attended local meetings to keep residents informed. He believes it’s simply a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

“If gangs want to shoot each other in the legs, it’s a terrible thing. But it’s not confined to them. Bullets keep going.”