Ottawa Police Service hires 32 new cops in first three months of 2024

The sign outside Ottawa Police headquarters on Elgin St. is seen in this undated photo. (Aaron Reid/CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Police Service has hired nearly three dozen new recruits in the first three months of 2024, after missing its hiring target in 2023.

A new report prepared for the Ottawa Police Services Board Human Resources Committee states that the force's "staff stabilization strategy" is underway. The plan aims to address what Police Chief Eric Stubbs calls "longstanding staffing challenges."

The police service is aiming to hire approximately 145 new sworn members in 2024, 2025 and 2026.

In the first quarter of 2024, Stubbs said 32 new recruits joined the Ottawa Police Service and will begin their time at Ontario Police College this month. These recruits are set to be sworn in in August and will begin field training.

Meanwhile, a group of recruits hired in late 2023 have completed their Ontario Police College training, Stubbs said, and have returned to Ottawa for final training at the professional development centre. This class of 38 recruits, will be sworn in in May.

Last year, only 87 new recruits were hired, falling short of the police service's target of 107. The Ottawa Police Service blamed the gap on a shortage of seats provided by the Ontario Police College and not its ability to hire.

Stubbs's report says the Ottawa Police Service is facing several challenges.

"Calls for service are continuing to rise, crime is more complex, demonstrations have become more disruptive, and the OPS is not able to keep up with current demand. Historical growth in the OPS’ complement has not kept up with Ottawa’s expanding population," the report says. "OPS staffing levels are amongst the lowest of comparable police services in Canada. In addition, the Service has seen yearly increases in the number of members requiring time away from work to heal and recover from injury and illness, though those increases have stabilized in recent years. In addition to these pressures, Members leaving the service for retirement or resignation (attrition) has trended upwards in recent years."

The Ottawa Police Service was authorized to have 1,487 sworn officers in 2023, with 1,371 active sworn members at the end of the year.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle.