ctvtoronto.ca

Shootings in the TTC are quite rare, but lesser acts of violence involving both passengers and TTC staff are relatively common.

Thursday's shooting occurred at Osgoode station at 10:37 a.m., leaving one young man wounded by two bullets.

On March 28, 2008, the TTC recorded its first shooting ever inside a subway car.

"These incidents are incredibly few and far between," Coun. Adam Giambrone, the TTC's chair, told CTV News on Thursday, referring to the shooting.

But here are some incidents from the subway in the past week alone:

• Three suspects robbed a 16-year-old boy at Donlands Station on Jan. 16
• Someone tried to rob a 14-year-old boy at the Glencairn subway station on Jan. 16
• A 19-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted while on a TTC train passing through 53 Division, which covers midtown Toronto, on Jan. 13

Brad Ross, director of communications for the TTC, told ctvtoronto.ca that statistics about criminal occurrences on TTC property would have to come from the Toronto Police Service.

Const. Tony Vella, a Toronto Police spokesperson, told ctvtoronto.ca that such statistics would have to come from the TTC.

Ross did say, "It is a public transit system that is open to all. Criminal incidents do occur on the transit system."

The TTC has 103 special constables who ride the transit system "doing two things -- serving and protecting," he said, adding they work closely with police.

Some other duties include crowd control during the morning rush and checking for counterfeit metro passes, he said.

But some passengers observe that they rarely see special constables, especially during the times when criminal activity is most likely to occur.

"They're there. They wear blue uniforms ... you may not see them, but they are there," Ross said.

Some officers do ride the subway system at off-hours and others travel by car to be dispatched to hotspots, Ross said, adding they stay mainly to the core of the city.

Other security measures

Ross noted the TTC has extensive video cameras and designated waiting areas within subway stations with special lighting and direct communications to the collector's booth.

There are passenger alarms on subway cars. Security cameras should be completely rolled out across the TTC's entire fleet  by the end of February, he said.

"So there are a number of measures in place on the system today, to help customers, to protect customers, to give them a better sense of security when they're riding the system," Ross said.

Passengers aren't the only ones affected by criminal activity. TTC drivers experience about two assaultive incidents across the system on a daily basis -- including punches, spitting and threats, he said.

The new security cameras -- which don't monitor drivers -- should hopefully result in more people being prosecuted when they commit crimes on TTC property, either against drivers or passengers, he said.

Ross couldn't say whether they are actually working in deterring criminal behaviour, but that is the hope.

Despite the shock of Thursday's shooting, one Toronto transit watcher didn't sound that alarmed.

"I think the TTC is an extension of Toronto streets, really," James Bow of the Transit Toronto blog told ctvtoronto.ca. "They are for the most part, safe, but not 100 per cent safe."

People at his online community are talking about it in the wake of Thursday's shooting, but it isn't normally a top-of-mind issue among them.

Mostly, "it's when the next train's going to be," he joked. But growing the TTC is another big topic.

Some people do debate whether the TTC's special constables should be part of the actual police. Some suggest that the model of some U.S. cities -- making the subway a separate precinct or division -- be followed here, Bow said.

With files from ctvtoronto.ca's Sandie Benitah

Comments are now closed for this story

NM
Perhaps if the officers were visible to all, it would deter criminal acts, rather than the law hiding and waiting for it to happen. I honestly cannot recall ever seeing them at any station. Patrols at each station, on each side of the tracks by uniformed officers!

customer.
What about existing models in the USA?

Toronto should explore some of the public transport systems in the USA.

Metrorail system in Washington D.C., and Atlanta Georgia is easy to get around, security is visible.

A customer is able to see train times live, and read about incidents on public transit, through their website.

The TTC needs to focus on public interest and not more ways to make public transit unaffordable and unsafe, by cutting costs.

There's potential.

Darren
Can the article clarfu where this actually happened? " 19-year-old woman reported being sexually assaulted while on a TTC train passing through 53 Division, which covers midtown Toronto, on Jan. 13" What does that mean. Some of us would like to know how the crime happened so we know what to avoid

Matt
The transit cops hide because if anything happens, all they can do is call 911.

They should be an actual division of the Toronto Police...if another gangbanger starts shooting at someone in a subway station, even if a transit cop is there, whats he going to do besides call TPS and run away and hide? Those guys don't even carry sidearms!

Shawn G
I have been taking the ttc system for some time now. I hardly get to see the so called TTC Special Constables, all i see isarrogant ttc employees with very bad customer service.


I thinks its about time they do something about the security and also the customer service.

NM
Perhaps if the officers were visible to all, it would deter criminal acts, rather than the law hiding and waiting for it to happen. I honestly cannot recall ever seeing them at any station. Patrols at each station, on each side of the tracks by uniformed officers!

customer.
What about existing models in the USA?

Toronto should explore some of the public transport systems in the USA.

Metrorail system in Washington D.C., and Atlanta Georgia is easy to get around, security is visible.

A customer is able to see train times live, and read about incidents on public transit, through their website.

The TTC needs to focus on public interest and not more ways to make public transit unaffordable and unsafe, by cutting costs.

There's potential.

tracey
53 Division is located at Duplex and Eglinton, right across the road from Eglinton Station, Darren. Hope that helps. You talk of wanting more police presence..that costs money, and since the Feds and the Province underfund this system so severely, don't expect to see it anytime soon. People need to pay attention to these issues and don't.

Felix
I urg those who have Facebook to take a look at a group called Help Find this Suspect i bet someone reading this will have info that can assist the police

angela ahmad
I've never seen security on the TTC. Where are they supposed to be visible?

I don't understand how the girl was sexually assaulted by 53 division...what? The police station??

pw from toronto!
what i would like to see. is people from Flashpoint (i.e. ED Lane, etc), carrying big guns, and patrolling the platforms in a menacing way.

Basically, the city needs to communicate in a very clear and explicit way that violence is not tolerated, and those who offend, will be dealt with extreme prejudice.

I'm not saying random searches, and the like - but make the criminals think twice about breaking the law.

Thanks for reading my 'ignorant' comment.

Piper
I have only ever seen special constables on the train once over a period of 2 years. However, they can usually be observed hanging around outside TTC headquarters at the Davisville subway station or the Timmies across the street.

J Meyer, Toronto
103 special constables? I see the city has been on hiring blitz over the past year....but does anyone know what these guys/gals even look like? I understand that quite a few are retired police officers. Is this a form of part-time work while collecting a pension? No doubt tomorrow they'll be 'patrolling' Osgoode subway station....

pnjunction
"I honestly cannot recall ever seeing them at any station. Patrols at each station, on each side of the tracks by uniformed officers!"

NM, keep your eyes open. I see them about once a week, about as often as I see police on the streets. Both sides of each station? That would be like having a cop patrol both sides of every block of every street. Safe? Sure, but we're plenty safe already and I sure don't want to pay for that. How do you feel about fare increases? Hundreds of officers wouldn't work for free...

city slicker
I'm surprised this hasn't happened before...
...big city, big problems...and the 'victim' is "known to Police", tells me something!

Darren
Uniformed Police officers should be able to ride for free, to encourage them to use the srevice and to be a detrrent to criminal activity

Deep
I've only seen TTC Special Constables twice. Once checking metro passes and other time directing traffic due to power issue last week. I've hardly seen them serve any function of providing security to passenger. I believe they should designate at least one TTC Special Constables at the main stations (e.g. St. George, Union, Younge/Bloor). That way they are there to provide at least some sense of security.

Jim
TTC special constables are paid on par with Toronto Police Officers, and yet have few of the same powers or resources. They are trained at the Toronto Police College as well.

This has never maid sense to me, why not hire full time (real) police officers and form a transit unit. It could be staffed an resourced like the rest of the city. Rather than paying to have 10 special constables standing around watching the police do the work. We are paying for 1/2 the service at full price. Pathetic

P J H
Don't worry everyone! Mayor David Miller has it all under control! He will pass a law punishing law abiding hunters in Northern Ontario by taking their single shot hunting rifles away. That will solve all the problems concerning gang violence in the city of Toronto. Seriously, the TTC needs a more visible, capable security force (not mall cops)to keep the confidence of the riders. For now - keep your heads down.

Kevin in Oshawa
Sorry to say that none of these great ideas will ever be implemented. The TTC is already cash-strapped and is starving for more money. Fares are only going to increase more while services decline or stay the same.

I am like many people here in the sense that I have never seen a so-called "TTC Constable" roaming around. There are a lot of ads about them; just none of them are around. Hey, maybe the ADS can protect us! NOT!