Chief Mark Saunders and Mayor John Tory have pitched a $3 million plan to put 200 more officers in priority areas between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. for eight weeks in response to recent gun violence.Another $12 million, Tory said Thursday, is being proposed to fund existing community programs serving at-risk youth.That redeployment plan would start next Friday and continue for eight weeks, putting more resources on the streets when “most of the gun violence takes place across the city,” Saunders said at a press conference at police headquarters.READ MORE:Experts warn against return to policing that targets ‘communities and not individuals’Opinion | Police union warns city ‘dangerously underserviced’Saunders and Tory presented a united front — what was promised to be “gun violence reduction plan — after they have both been the subject of attack by the police association and uniformed officers who claim a push to modernize the police force is to blame for a recent increase in violence.“Today’s plan is a coordinated effort with city hall,” Saunders said, thanking the mayor, Toronto Community housing and other city divisions.Tory announced he will push to see “significant and immediate new investments in programs which already work” after he requested an audit of existing community programs. Those with a proven track record will receive new funding, he said, including youth employment programs and those targeted at youth living in neighbourhood improvement areas and Toronto Community Housing.The mayor will be seeking that funding as well as the spending for the increased uniform presence, at a council meeting later this month. It’s unclear where the funding to begin the redeployment next week will come from. Saunders said that plan would be achieved using overtime. A press release from the mayor’s office said that plan would cost “up to $3 million.”City staff, the pre ...
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