Timmins Police Services seeking 3.7 per cent budget hike in 2024

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Timmins Police Services Board is looking for a 3.7 per cent increase in its budget in 2024.

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Chair Kraymr Grenke and Acting Police Chief Henry Dacosta outlined the request during Tuesday’s city council budget meeting.

With manpower, or the lack thereof, being a key issue, Grenke pointed out they have a target of having 91 sworn officers by the fourth quarter of 2024, up from the current 83.

It should be noted, however, that 83 number might be a little deceptive, given it is estimated 10 or 11 officers are currently on either long-term or some kind of modified disability, leaving approximately 70 available to work shifts.

And while Timmins Police Service’s approved complement is 96 sworn officers, 88 is the highest number it has had at any one time in the past.

“We are currently undertaking the opportunity to have three direct hires being brought into the service by the end of Q1,” Grenke said.

“Per the ministry allotment (two cadets per class) through the Solicitor General for the Ontario Police College, we have six cadets set to go to the police college in March, June and September.”

Grenke indicated the board has actively lobbied to have more new officers attend the police college throughout the year. Retirements and resignations anticipated for the first quarter of 2024 will only add to the manpower crunch.

Timmins Police Service will be looking to add more than just sworn officers in 2024.

“New positions we want to add through this budget include a full-time IT position through the folks here at city hall, in the IT department, and five additional full-time dispatchers,” Grenke said.

“In the past, we have had upwards of 12 part-time dispatchers but the landscape of the labour market has obviously changed and we looked to how to fill those spots more easily and that is through full-time committed work.”

Grenke the board has identified other new positions that will be required at Timmins Police Service moving forward. These include an HR manager, to start in June; a fleet/quartermaster coordinator, to start in January; and Digital Evidence Management System civilian staff, to start in January.

In addition, plans call for increased hours for court, detention and prisoner transfer, as well as a significant increase in software licensing fees.

Efforts to increase the number of sworn officers on the streets of Timmins proved to be the main concern expressed by councilors who attended the budget meeting.

Ward 2 Coun. Lorne Feldman suggested it wasn’t necessarily the financial numbers that interested him most in the presentation.

“When somebody comes looking for a budget increase, I don’t necessarily look at the number budgeted,” he said.

“If you came to me for $100 million, as significant as that may sound, I would want to ensure the money and the budget is being spent effectively and efficiently.

“So, I don’t want to get caught up with, is it five per cent, is it two per cent, is it 15 per cent? I want to kind of drill down a little deeper to see with this additional money, how are things working and obviously I want to focus on recruitment because 88 per cent of your budget is labour.

“It is the most crucial aspect, the men and women on the (Timmins) Police Service. They are cherished members of our community. We want them to succeed, we want them to be safe, but I think you will concede there is still a lot of uncertainty in the community about do we have enough police officers, do we not have enough police officers?

“Is this perception or is perception reality? Are these issues really holding back the (Timmins) Police Service.”

Given the target of having 91 sworn officers in place by the fourth quarter of 2024, Feldman asked how many are currently on the job.

Dacosta said, “As of today, we stand at 83 sworn officers and our realistic goal, through recruiting, through the Ontario Police College, through direct hires, is to get to 91 by Q4.

“If we can recruit more direct hires, we will do so.”

Feldman asked if attracting new officers remains the major challenge for Timmins Police Service, when it comes to labour.

Grenke said, “When you look at policing as a whole in the entire province, most services are about 25 per cent (below) their approved complement (of sworn officers) on the road.

“We are no different, I don’t think, than any other service in the province. We are grateful to the Ontario Police College. They have added an entire class, another 500 spots to that process. We are advocating with the Solicitor General to ensure we can get more than two spots, have three or four spots per class. That is how we get to those numbers and beyond.

“Like every other community, we need police officers today, tomorrow and in the future.”

Ward 5 Coun. Steve Black, who is one of council’s representatives on the board, noted Timmins Police Service has recruited more officers this year than they have in past years.

Dacosta confirmed, that fact, stating 13 new officers were hired in 2013, while 12 were lost during the same time frame, leaving a net gain of just one.

Black said, “I just want to identify where our problem is. It is not on the recruitment side, it is on the retention side. The bulk of the dollars in the recruitment/retention plan tabled are on the retention side and that is where the bigger struggle is right now.

“We have had a pretty successful year on the recruitment side and I think the service deserves credit for some of the recruitment initiatives that went out there and brought that many new officers into the service in one year.”

“We have seen increases in labour, increases in material and some decreases in overhead expenses and some decreases in capital equipment,” he said.

Grenke noted 88 per cent of the overall budget is allotted to labour.

“So, when we look at what makes up the budget of Timmins Police Service, it is very profound it is labour that drives our organization forward,” he said.

“Our building expenses continue to be there, as we do have some large capital renovations to do to our building.”

Timmins Police Service’s station is set to turn 17 years old in 2024.

On the revenue side of the equation, handling dispatch for Kirkland Lake Fire Services ($41,000) will have a positive impact, as will use of existing reserves from 2021 ($124,000 plus $454,000), Year 3 of NG911 (next generation 911) funding from the Solicitor General and a Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care ambulance dispatch grant ($338,000, which has not yet been approved).

The capital portion of Timmins Police Service’s budget calls for $1,521,900 to be spent on capital investments in 2024.

“We are making substantial investments in the equipment that will help our officers succeed and allow our staff to do their jobs more efficiently,” Grenke said.

“We have building capital ($505,100), to ensure its longevity does exist, including video systems ($75,000). The video systems we have are still running on analog, at this point, so the upgrade is required to ensure we can get to a modern state.”

The most expensive item under building in the capital budget is replacement of an air conditioning unit, at a cost of $325,000. It should be noted, however, a grant application has been submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care in the amount of $162,500.

In terms of fleet, the largest line item is $165,000 for patrol vehicles, followed by $95,000 for unmarked vehicles.

“Police cars do not always drive down the smoothest main roads,” Grenke said.

“They are required to go down alleyways and bumpy roads.”

Also under fleet, they are looking for $20,000 for an enclosed trailer for snowmobiles, as well as $25,000 for a drone, including training and insurance.

“As we look to have search and rescues throughout the winter, we need to be mobile at any minute,” Grenke said.

Other items included in the capital budget include radar units, mobile work stations, body armour, breathalyzers, CCTV eye in the sky, ERT equipment, firearms and holsters, NG911 upgrades, pistol-mounted lights, portable radios, as well as a radio system replacement.

In addition to the $162,500 grant application submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, other capital funding anticipated includes $200,000 for the NG911 upgrades and $454,000 to be transferred from reserves to assist for modernization to allow for mobile data terminals within cruisers, automatic licence plate readers, as they look to move towards body-worn cameras and other items required in modern-day policing.