‘We’re nowhere near where we need to be’: London’s top cop’s contract extended

London Police Service Board announced the extension of Chief Thai Truong’s contract.

It was handshakes and hugs all around after the London Police Services Board announced a contract extension for Chief Thai Truong, which could see him holding the top job through to the end of 2031. Truong said there is still unfinished business.

“We’ve done really good things in the over two years that I’ve been here,” he said.

“We’re nowhere near where we need to be. It’s going to take a few more years for our organization to be at a really stable place.”

Truong was appointed chief in June 2023. Soon after the police launched an effort to grow and modernize the service with the ‘Safer City Campaign’. That resulted in an unprecedented four-year $672 million increase for the police budget. It’s an investment board chair Ryan Gauss continues to defend.

“We know it’s hard for Londoners right now. We know that that we’re in an affordability crisis. We understand that. But if we didn’t invest now, when?” Gauss questioned.

Truong and Mayor Josh Morgan noted that $2.3 million of the new funding was returned over the first two years of the multi-year-budget, and they said investment in policing has already paid dividends.

“While many police services and jurisdictions went up in crime severity index, we dropped by 14 per cent,” Truong told those gathered at London Police headquarters.

Speaking with CTV News, Morgan said when thinking about the city’s economics and how to continue success, public safety is at the core.

“It is a critical investment that we need to make. We need to continue to lower our response times, drive down violent crime,” he said.

“We’ll do more traffic enforcement and all the things that we’re doing as a modern community.”

During the news conference Monday morning, Chief Truong was reticent to identify specific priorities for his extended term but did admit afterwards that facilities issues – particularly an aging police headquarters – had to be near the top of the list.

“Whether it’s a police station, or it’s a substation. We need a footprint, especially in the northwest,” said Truong.

Morgan believes a centralized emergency services training facility proposed for south London could also ease overcrowding at headquarters. As an example, he said the relocation of the firing range would be way to add additional offices or meeting rooms at the 601 Dundas Street location.

“It has the potential to be a regional facility, and we’ve got lots of partners in the region, whether they’re small fire departments, our indigenous communities, even airports where we can actually provide services out of that facility,” said Morgan.

The extension could see Truong reach 30 years of police service while in London.

Financial details of the chief’s contract were not made available, but Gauss said they will be available during the annual sunshine list disclosures.