The cost of policing in Halton will increase by 4.2 per cent next year, to $168.8 million.
But the money is paying for a force that can brag of the highest success rate in solving crimes, despite having the smallest number of officers per capita among the province’s 12 largest police forces, according to police Chief Stephen Tanner.
“We are consistently the best,” Tanner told members of Halton regional council on Dec. 9.
Tanner and Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, who heads the Halton police services board, presented the 2021 budget to council.
It calls for the police to increase spending by $6.8 million next year. The increase is mostly due to increased salaries and benefits, and the hiring of 14 new officers and 3 new civilians.
For the second year in a row, the police budget increase has exceeded the regional guideline of 3.7 per cent.
But the excess increase is being blamed on provincial funding cuts that no longer cover the cost of officers previously hired under a provincial initiative.
“Here in Halton, where we have the lowest officers per capita in the province, we think we need to keep them,” Burton explained.
Staffing costs make up about 90 per cent of the police budget, and Burton warned that increasing personnel costs will drive the budget up over the next few years.
Forecasts suggest the budget will rise to almost $200 million by 2025.
The police budget has been unanimously approved by the police services board and will be part of the regional budget due to be approved on Dec. 16.
Councillors will consider a 2021 budget that will increase property taxes by 1.8 per cent, or $6 per $100,000 of property assessment.
If approved, the regional portion of the property tax bill would be set at $272 per $100,000 in assessment for 2021.
In a frank question and answer session with councillors at the end of the presentation, Tanner shared his thoughts on a range of subjects.
When will body-worn cameras appear?
While the service has used body cameras in a few isolated circumstances, including at pig protests in Burlington, most of the service’s focus has been on introducing in-vehicle camera systems.
All police vehicles will be equipped with car cameras in 2021, with a pilot body-worn camera project coming within the next year or so.
“We’re at the verge of it,” said Tanner. “Our need is not as great as Toronto and Peel I would say, right now, but the reality is it’s coming everywhere, and we’re well positioned for it.”
Thoughts on decriminalization of illegal drugs?
“Individually, it scares me,” Tanner admitted, but added that the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has recently called for decriminalization of small amounts of illegal drugs for personal consumption.
“It’s a very complicated issue but I don’t think we need to take every person who is found in simple possession of very small quantities of drugs before the criminal courts.”
Photo radar?
Tanner said he supports photo radar and red-light cameras.
“I am a proponent of technological solutions to improve traffic safety and photo radar is one of them.”
Halton police have made about 60,000 traffic stops and laid over 750 impaired driving charges in 2020.
Cannabis?
While it may be legal, cannabis is still an intoxicant and contributes to impaired driving problems, said Tanner.
He said it also funds criminal organizations.
“It continues to be one of the most profitable drugs for organized crime, if not the most profitable and prevalent,” he said.