If fewer people want to be cops, how will the London Police Service replenish its ranks?

Jayden Van Massenhoven says he's always had an interest in law enforcement. He considered becoming a frontline police officer but was discouraged from pursuing it. 

"My grandfather was a police officer, and his words were always 'don't do it.'"

Instead, the 19-year-old Fanshawe College student decided to study to become a 911 dispatcher. A way to see what law enforcement is all about and what frontline police officers go through without actually having to don a uniform and risk disappointing his grandfather, a 24-year veteran of the Ontario Provincial Police. 

"I think he's just seen how it's changed socially," he said. "It's a different world these days."

Police services face hiring crisis

Van Massenhoven's hesitation underscores a larger problem being faced by the London Police Service (LPS) and other police services across Canada — a hiring crisis exacerbated by a nationwide labour shortage and negative perceptions of policing, including accusations of systemic racism by law enforcement and officer's own mental health struggles. 

CBC News requested data from the LPS and the Ontario Police College on the number of applications for frontline policing jobs over the last decade. Both organizations were unable to fulfill that request before publication time. 

In London, police have acknowledged that hiring is a problem even while it prepares to fill 52 frontline officer positions over the next three years to cover a severe officer shortage. 

"Fifty-two isn't our total ask, but it is our catch-up," said Trish McIntyre, London's acting police chief, on Wednesday at the opening of the city police service's new downtown foot patrol office.

The police service is working hard to boost its presence in a city where the thin blue line is thinner than most. London has only 145 officers per 100,000 people, 23 per cent below the national average of 183, according to Statistics Canada. 

The cost of hiring 52 officers is estimated at between $3-6 million, but convincing the politicians who hold the city's purse strings to spend the money might be as challenging as finding the right recruits. 

Debate over how to tackle roots of crime

"I am personally really struggling with this request," said councillor Skylar Franke at a Tuesday night council meeting where the hiring spree was debated at city hall. "Some citizens really want more police presence and some citizens really want us to address the root causes of crime and not necessarily increase the police compliment that we have." 

Franke wants to see more data from the LPS to justify hiring dozens of officers who, as the city deals with a homeless crisis, spend more of their time dealing with mental health-related issues — something the city councillor believes shouldn't be the responsibility of city law enforcement.

"I do think we are covering provincial healthcare funding by sending police officers to deal with things we should be sending doctors and nurses to deal with."

Not everyone agrees, however. Councillor Steve Lehman, whose suburban ward spans Oakridge, a middle-class neighbourhood beset by break-ins, thefts and other petty crimes, thinks hiring 52 officers isn't enough. 

"Provincially, there are 2,300 property crimes per 100,000 residents. In London, we have almost double that, about 4,300," he said, noting police are so swamped with calls for service they sometimes take days to arrive at the homes of the people in his ward.

'Our citizens do not feel safe'

"They're not getting a response. Maybe in two or three days, they'll have an officer make it out to deal with that call. That leads to frustration and anger, which I heard at the door when I campaigned this year," said Lehman. 

Lehman said it isn't just homeowners who are frustrated, so are the police. He said a recent tour of the city's 911 dispatch centre opened his eyes to how overwhelmed the police officers are — with hundreds of calls waiting in the queue before they start their shift, he suggested overwork and budget cuts are why so many officers are burning out. 

"Our citizens do not feel safe today," he said, noting the city can no longer ask police do more with less. "Police have trimmed all the fat long ago and what we're doing now is we're cutting into the bone."

The London Police Service has about 900 members, 600 of which are police officers, according to acting chief Trish McIntyre. At any given time, at least 10 per cent of its frontline officers are off on stress leave, trying to recuperate from the cumulative effects of the job, which can lead to burnout or PTSD. 

"No arguing the statistics that are out there right now in terms of burnout and mental health," said Rick Robson, the executive director of the London Police Association, the labour organization representing police officers in London. 

Robson said police need to build a more positive image to counteract some of the negative public perceptions about the policing that have taken root, especially from the United States. It means strict hiring standards will continue to weed out many candidates, especially those whose history is considered unsuitable for the job. 

"Obviously, we do a background check," he said. "Sometimes that exposes criminal behaviour, specifically drug use." 

His advice to anyone considering a career in policing is to talk to the officers themselves. They'll be the first to admit the job isn't for everyone, but they'll also tell you it can be rewarding work that betters the community. 

"Get their perspective before you come to a conclusion and formulate a final opinion."