Regional Police present proposed budget to regional councillors

Waterloo Regional Police (WRPS) presented their proposed $228 million budget for 2024 to regional councillors on Wednesday.

The budget would be an increase of 6.71 per cent, or $14.4 million, from last year – and would cost around $341 a person a year in property taxes, or a 4.62 per cent increase.

Some of the drivers of the increase include inflation, increased benefit costs and contracts and plans to add 18 more officers.

Councillor Rob Deutchmann pressed WRPS Chief Mark Crowell on how the service has increased its sworn officer total by 13 officers over two years. The total number of officers increased from 797 to 810 from the beginning of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023, leaving a currently deficit of 25.

This includes officers who have resigned, retired and have transferred.

If approved, he added WRPS would have a deficit of 43 officers between what has been approved and who has been hired.

“Why can’t we just focus on hiring what the current deficit is for a year, given this is a difficult tax year,” asked Deutchmann.

Regional Chair Karen Redman, who sits on the police board, said the decision to hire more officers came from a KPMG study recommending the hiring of 55 officers.

“The board decided to do that over a period of years rather than provide sticker shock to the council,” said Redman.

She notes WPRS did not hire any officers between 2016 and 2018.

So far this year, WRPS has seen a 19 per cent increase in the number of service calls, with 287,489.

The number of shootings, weapons violations and robberies have decreased from last year, but there has been a reported increase in hate crimes, human trafficking, extortion and child pornography.

WRPS’ board approved their budget proposal for council on November 15.