The Winnipeg Police Service will get 36 new general patrol officers — half the number requested by acting chief Art Stannard — if city council approves the preliminary 2025 budget.
The proposal would allow the service to add two patrol cars by the end of 2026 — the first increase in more than 20 years. The current minimum requirement is 28 cars per shift.
“Yes, it’s not the full amount (of officers) that was requested,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said before the budget was tabled Wednesday.
“Part of it is to make sure that we were reflecting some increased response to general patrol per shift, and adding an increase to general patrol per shift so that we get, hopefully, better response to calls in the queue.”
The WPS has said more officers are needed to help it cope with a spike in calls for service and population growth.
Some of the revenue generated by a proposed 5.95 per cent property tax hike would be used to cover the nearly $9 million needed for 36 officers, one support staff member and two vehicles.
Police spending to rise $20 million
The WPS operating expenditures are projected to rise to $352 million in 2025, which is $20 million higher than 2024. The service will be instructed to find $5 million in savings next year, after meeting a $7 million target this year.
While he didn’t expect his staffing request to be granted due to the city’s budget constraints, Stannard described plans to add 36 officers as “great news.”
“We’ve known for some time that the City of Winnipeg is facing cost pressures and financial challenges, but it’s also facing continued population growth and demand for emergency services,” he said in a statement. “The Winnipeg Police Service is also facing impacts due to the effects of our ever-growing city.”
Cory Wiles, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, welcomed plans for more front-line officers.
“Winnipeg’s steady growth and increased crime levels in recent years have made it impossible for WPS members to maintain the response standards that our citizens deserve,” he said in a statement.
“As a result, people in all areas of the city are feeling increasingly unsafe, which is resulting in unprecedented call volumes and wait times. But we also want to reinforce what has previously been stated by the WPS executive: We are going to need even more resources if we are serious about tackling the problem before our city.”
‘Unfair distribution of funds’
Kate Kehler, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg, has advocated for non-emergent and non-violent mental-health calls to be directed to crisis workers, rather than police, in a bid to prevent negative outcomes.
That could help to reduce calls for police service, she told reporters.
“I would rather see it redistributed to community-based organizations,” Kehler said, referring to funding for additional police officers.
She said the amount spent on poverty reduction pales in comparison to funding for police.
“It is an unfair distribution of funds,” she said. “When I say unfair, it’s unfair to everybody because if we actually spent more money on poverty reduction we would actually have a safer city for all.”
“If we actually spent more money on poverty reduction we would actually have a safer city for all.”–Kate Kehler
The WPS said its communications centre received more than 750,000 calls in 2023, or more than 2,000 per day, which was an increase of almost 10 per cent over 2022.
On Aug. 31, the WPS had a record backlog of about 440 calls in its queue. The queue has averaged 300 calls on any given day, Stannard said.
“Overtime funding has helped alleviate some of the pressure, but a more sustainable solution is necessary,” he said.
The WPS has said the number of officers has not kept up with population growth. The service had 1,366 police officers in 2023, down from 1,463 in 2013, according to WPS data.
Per 100,000 people, the city employed 172.9 officers in 2023, below a peak of 214.2 in 2012, Statistics Canada data showed. WPS data put the 2023 per capita figure at 167.5 officers.
“The Winnipeg Police Service is also facing impacts due to the effects of our ever-growing city.”–Acting police chief Art Stannard
Winnipeg is expected to hire a new police chief soon, following the retirement of Danny Smyth.
More transit safety officers
Meanwhile, city hall is also looking to hire 15 more community safety officers, who are not part of the WPS, by 2027 to help address safety concerns on Winnipeg Transit’s network. The program was one of Gillingham’s promises when elected in 2022.
Kehler said she has not yet seen an evaluation of the program, which started in February, or any evidence that supports an expansion.
“We’re just curious why there are certain services that are given money somewhat without question,” she said.
To support crime-prevention efforts, the budget proposes $1 million for new youth recreation programs in “high-needs” neighbourhoods. Gillingham described it as a “significant investment.”
“If we can invest in young people early, even through an investment that’s the fraction of a cost of a fully sworn police officer, or several of them, then we can get positive responses in people’s lives and put young people on a better path, and a good path, and keep them out of criminal activity,” he said.
chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca
Chris Kitching
Reporter
Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.
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