Lack of resources leads to violence

TORONTO - Extreme caseloads and a lack of community resources came together Wednesday morning to send two Toronto probation officers to hospital.

Tony Belfiore and John Damba were injured trying to subdue a disturbed client who had thrown a chair through an office window. They were treated in hospital and released.

Rosemary Elstone, president of Local 551 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the probation and parole officers, said the service was lucky this hasn’t happened sooner.

"We’ve been expecting something. There have been a lot of threats and a lot of volatile behaviour among our clients. We’re dealing with exactly the same clientele as the jails, but we have no power to lock down a violent client; we have no protection at all."

Elstone said probation officers were dealing with extreme caseloads (180 to 200 clients for one probation officer), lack of safety features in their workplaces, and growing volatility in their client group.

"It can take months to get a client into a treatment program, and until you get them into a program, you’re the treatment. With the caseloads we have, it is impossible," she said.

Diana Fedun, secretary of Local 551 and a probation officer at the Queensway office, said the client who erupted Wednesday had not be scheduled for an appointment. Vladimir Fourka, about 33, arrived about 8:30 a.m. and was pounding on the plate glass window protecting support staff saying he needed help.

Fedun said Fourka claimed someone was out to kill him, but said he didn’t trust police. Belfiore took Fourka into his office, and the incident happened shortly thereafter. Damba and two other clients helped Belfiore subdue Fourka. One of the clients was also injured in the fracas. Fourka has a record of violent offences, including offences involving firearms and explosives.

Elstone called on the government to take full responsibility for allowing this kind of situation to develop.

"We have been raising these issues in union-management meetings for a long time, and getting nowhere," she said.

"We need more staff to handle the caseload. People aren’t aware that 85 per cent of the correctional clientele are in the community. We need more training, we need a safety audit of our offices. And we need a lot more treatment programs.

"There hasn’t been a significant influx of resources into the community side of corrections since the 1970s. Nobody should be surprised that this is the result," Elstone said.

- 30 -

Return to Top