Officials with the London Police Association (LPA) confirmed Monday that members held a non-confidence vote last week challenging the leadership of Chief Steve Williams, and that the motion was carried by those present.
In an emailed statement, the LPA said a general members meeting was held on Dec. 9 during which a motion of non-confidence in Williams was brought forward from the floor and voted on.
“The LPS has now informed Chief Williams and the London Police Services Board (LPSB) of the result of this vote,” read the statement from LPA.
Since then, the union says a motion has been put forward to its board of directors to have the motion of non-confidence brought to a vote of the entire membership at a future date. The union represents hundreds of London Police Service employees.
“We look forward to conducting this vote and reporting on the results.”
Earlier in the day, Williams confirmed that he was aware of the motion that was tabled, and has “heard and take(s) the concerns of all members seriously.”
“I am committed to discussions with the LPA Executive in the coming days and those discussions will inform next steps,” Williams said.
“These are challenging times for everyone, the community and the police. I continue to be incredibly proud of the work members of the LPS do each and every day. We share a common goal, and that is to be well as a team so we can serve the community with excellence. That will continue to be my focus moving forward.”
A non-confidence vote is not legally binding, but it does send a message to an organization that a leader no longer has support from a specific group.
“I think we need to know more details in terms of how this vote arose and hopeful that will come out at some point in time,” said Susan Toth, interim chair of the London Police Services Board.
“There is nothing at this point that raises anything with the board in terms of Chief Williams leadership,” she continued.
“I have spoken with every single member of the police services board, and everyone was has reiterated the same thing, that he has been an exceptional leader during a very difficult time and we look forward to working with him and seeing what this year brings.”
Toth added that it was important to keep in mind the pressure first responders have been under with increasing calls for service. During the last year, Williams has been “exceptional in terms of advocating for his officers,” she said.
The LPA said in its statement that its members were overworked and understaffed, adding that the consequences of that were being felt not just by union members but the wider public as well.
“The number one priority of our members is the safety and security of the community they serve. We will do everything in our power to ensure our members can provide the level of service that Londoners deserve,” the statement read.
Last month, Williams outlined the current challenges being faced by London police during a meeting of the LPSB.
Williams stated in a memo that officers had spent an additional 33,000 hours between January and October of 2021 responding to roughly the same amount of calls as the same period in 2020.
Code 1 calls dealing with emergencies and life-threatening matters had increased by 27 per cent for that 2021 period compared to 2020, while Code 2 calls, non-emergency calls that are urgent in nature, had increased by 96 per cent.
“The month of September 2021 alone, saw a 226% increase in Code 2 response time compared to September 2020,” the memo said.
To deal with the crunch several officers would be redeployed to the front lines. They included at least eight school resource officers, eight officers from “other operational areas,” and 11 officers from the Community Oriented Response Unit.
Police, Williams said, would review how it handled calls for service, adding that more staff was needed along with increased funding from the city’s 2023 annual multi-year budget update.
— with files from Andrew Graham
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