A Bradford West Gwillimbury councillor has concerns about a 6.75 per cent increase to the South Simcoe Police Service’s operating budget for 2023.
He thinks it should be higher.
“I would ask that maybe look at another officer or two,” said Coun. Nickolas Harper. “This town is seeing it; it’s hurting and it’s very noticeable. I’m going to challenge your budget a bit and that you maybe look at proposing a little increase for these violent crimes.”
South Simcoe Police Service Acting Chief John Van Dyke welcomed Harper’s comments, as did Police Board Chair Chris Gariepy, but Van Dyke told council he has a plan to increase levels of on-the-ground policing in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil over the next few years by both hiring additional front-line officers and back-office support.
That back-office support is being brought in to take care of some of the paperwork currently required to be completed by on-duty officers. Van Dyke suggested that the new hires could save 80 hours of officer time each week, the equivalent of having two extra full-time bodies on the street.
“I have a three-year plan to find more efficiencies,” Van Dyke said. “I think we need to have the efficiency talk with not just adding police officers, because you have to work smarter, not necessarily harder.”
Not that the police budget couldn’t have suggested an extra officer or two, over and above the two constables being hired to enhance the Criminal Investigations Branch. But in that case, the increase over last year would be closer to eight per cent, the acting chief said, with each full-time officer accounting for approximately an additional $150,000 in financial commitment.
Salaries and benefits account for more than 90 per cent of South Simcoe Police Service’s annual operating budget, with that specific figure to jump by nearly $1.6 million this year. This accounts for 4.99 per cent of the 6.75% operating increase, which Gariepy told councillors is “very fair,” and in-line with what municipalities across the province are experiencing.
The total police budget, split between Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil, accounts for about 13 per cent of each municipality’s total operating budget. South Simcoe’s two closest neighbours – Barrie Police Service and York Region Police – account for more than 20 per cent and nearly 30 per cent of their municipal operating budgets.
“My message to you is that you’re getting value for your money,” Van Dyke said.
While calls for service flat-lined during the COVID-19 pandemic, the types of crimes being investigated by South Simcoe Police Service have changed drastically.
The number of vehicles stolen in the community in the past year has increased by nearly 50 per cent, while shoplifting has almost tripled. Van Dyke pointed to the increase of organized crime rings infiltrating the area, targeting specific makes and models of vehicles and stores at the Tanger Outlets in Cookstown.
There were nearly 150 more domestic disputes, year-over-year and more than 60 additional mental health calls. From a policing standpoint, the increase in these calls puts a strain on front-line officers, as two officers will likely be off the streets for hours at a time when called for these issues, depending on severity.
It’s one of the reasons why proactive policing in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil has seen a decrease in the past few years. Between 2017 and 2019, approximately 40 per cent of the calls for service came from on-duty officers, Van Dyke said, who were on patrol and witnessed something.
Today, that number has been cut in half, meaning that 80 per cent of what South Simcoe Police is doing is reactionary. It’s a newer problem rather than a long-term one, Gariepy said, but one he and Van Dyke – along with the rest of the Police Service Board – are eager to correct.
It’s a concern of Harper’s as well who argued that a lack of a proactive police presence on the streets can be tied to the increase in overall illegal activity in the community.
“When you say this town is not seeing a lot of proactive work being done – 80 per cent is reactionary – I’ll tell you, the town feels it,” Harper said. “It’s noticed on our streets, in our schools, in every neighbourhood of this town.”
The Bradford West Gwillimbury/Innisfil Police Services Board approved its budget in November. It also includes extra money for body-worn cameras for all front-line officers, a new court officer and four civilian positions.
The matter will be discussed further when Bradford West Gwillimbury debates its budget in the new year.
