More than $12 million has been spent policing protests across the city since October, the Toronto Police Service said Friday.
The figure, announced in a Friday news conference by deputy chief Lauren Pogue, accounts for both the regular costs and overtime hours needed to engage with “hundreds” of demonstrations that have taken place across the city since Oct. 7.
It has increased almost three million dollars since mid-February, when the service provided its last update on costs.
“The Toronto Police Service has attended hundreds of demonstrations since Oct. 7,” Pogue told reporters. “Our officers are attending demonstrations every day, some involving thousands of people.”
The update comes about a week after police and protestors clashed at a pro-Palestinian demonstration downtown last weekend, resulting in charges laid on attendees and allegations of brutality levied against responding officers.
Police previously said that participants of the action “became aggressive and assaultive” after officers moved to seize a truck that had occupants standing in the bed. Police also said one woman threw horse manure at officers and that another “intentionally used a flagpole to ‘spear’ at an officer.”
Three people were charged following the protest. Another man, accused of spitting on an officer, turned himself in Wednesday and was charged with assault.
“It’s important to recognize the potential consequences of obstructing police and interfering with our ability to maintain order,” Pogue said at the news conference. “The choice to do so not only escalates tensions and may lead to confrontations, but poses risks to the safety of all involved.”
Protest groups have since alleged police brutality, claiming they’ve been subject to dramatic escalations and violence at the hands of Toronto police. They are calling for an independent investigation into the service’s handling of the action.