Moose Jaw Police service asks 2.1 per cent increase from city taxpayers
Judging by the number of calls for service to the Moose Jaw Police, business hasn’t changed much in five years. Between 2012 and 2016 calls for service varied from 16,902 to 15,782.
Scratch beneath the surface and Moose Jaw’s 54 police officers are pretty busy, according to data submitted in the 2018 budget request to city council.
Police reports submitted annually in those five years have increased from 9,643 to 10,640.
More serious, Criminal Code incidents are up 11.5 per cent to 3,803. Violent crimes increased from 54 in 2012 to 84 last year.
The report notes that one-quarter of police calls report a crime. “Many of these crime-related calls require significant subsequent investigation and court preparation which is complex, time-consuming and circumscribed by legislated and constitutional requirements.”
All charges laid involve “exhaustive” reporting, disclosure and records management.
The benchmark Crime Severity Index for Moose Jaw of 116 is well below the provincial average of 149 and below Regina and Saskatoon. But the index jumped by 18 points last year after several years of modest declines. Moose Jaw’s crime rate at 10,924, is less than half of Prince Albert and about seven per cent less than the Saskatchewan average.
Based on officers per 100,000 population Moose Jaw has less policing than Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Estevan or Weyburn — all cities with their own police force. “We’re not under-staffed,” commented Police Chief Rick Bourassa on the matter. “What it means is we’re pretty efficient. We have no slack.”
Moose Jaw ranks second highest of these cities in Crim- inal Code incidents per officer at 70. Prince Albert with 83 ranks first. Regina and Saskatoon are 55 and 54 respectively.
Between 2012 and 2016, the number of traffic tickets increased from 4,319 to 17,760. Tickets peaked at 21,309 in 2015 ”indicating quite a success in reducing the number of speeding violations in the monitored locations.” This year’s budget continues 14 recent enhancements from community sweat lodge to Citizens Police Academy to updated parking enforcement and infrastructure processes.
New enhancements include a focus on city and regional traffic safety, incorporation of new regulations on freedom of information and protection of privacy, exploring enhanced responses to child abuse, sexual assault, mental health intervention, serious crimes, illicit drugs, habitual offenders and the cannabis legislation.
The regional traffic safety enhanced service is funded by SGI with two officers and re-allocating two provincially funded positions.
The budget asks for almost $9.5 million — an increase of 2.1 per cent ($196,000) over last year’s request. Revenues to the police service are $1,167,000 in 2018 — an increase of about $525,000 over the 2017 ask. Most of the increased revenues, $240,000, comes from SGI which is funding two new officers and cars. A new contractual agreement started last year worth $215,000 in the budget involves the city paying for the Commissionaires.
Speed enforcement contributes revenues of $70,000 from the traffic camera program fund to make up the increase. Salaries increase by $419,000 to $7.6 million and include 19 full-time support staff and five full-time Commissionaires.
The budget will be discussed by city council in budget meetings this month.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net