Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said his officers have earned the raise. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair is defending a tentative agreement on a new contract for officers that would give them an 11.5 per cent wage hike over the next four years.

The agreement was presented last week to the Toronto Police Association, the body representing police officers in contract negotiations.

It grants a raise of 3.2 per cent this year, three per cent for the next two years and two per cent in 2014.

The police association recommended that its members approve the deal, which would make Toronto police officers the highest paid in the country.

Blair, speaking publicly for the first time about the deal on Wednesday, said his officers have earned the raise.

"The work required of a police officer, the training that they require, the amount of effort that they put into their work I think is recognized by the pay scales that have been determined," he said Wednesday after a meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board.

Deal may bump police budget over $1B

The agreement comes as Toronto Mayor Rob Ford tries to fill a budget gap estimated at more than $774 million. The deal, if approved, could push the police budget to over $1 billion in four years, up from $888.2 million in 2010.

Blair said he is looking for other efficiencies within the budget beyond salaries, but said he believes Toronto police officers should be well paid.

"I think they have one of the most challenging jobs," he said. "Certainly it can more expensive to work and live in the city of Toronto. Our people are busy. There's always lots of work to do here."

Officers will vote on the deal on May 25. The force currently employs just over 5,600 officers and 2,068 civilian staff.

Meanwhile, Toronto Police Services Board chairman Alok Mukherjee released an open letter to the premier Tuesday, saying the province is driving up the costs of policing across Ontario.

The government gave the Ontario Provincial Police a five per cent increase this year, almost two per cent higher than anyone else, he wrote.

It was finalized last November, after Finance Minister Dwight Duncan vowed to freeze public sector wages.

In addition, the government guaranteed an across-the-board wage hike in 2014 that would make them the highest paid police officers in the province, regardless of costs.

That means they'll receive a minimum 14 per cent wage hike over four years, compared to the 11.5 increase for Toronto police, he said.

With files from The Canadian Press