REGINA – Regina has one of the most over-staffed police forces in the country, according to a new Fraser Institute report.
The study ‘Police and Crime Rates in Canada’ says Saint John, N.B., Winnipeg and Windsor, Ont. are the top three overstaffed police forces in the country with Regina coming in at number 10.
The study by the right-leaning think-tank points out staffing numbers at police forces (on average) increased from 2001 to 2011, while crime rates dropped.
“The report relied primarily on 2011 census data and the city has grown significantly in that time,” said Regina Police Chief Troy Hagen.
Even though Regina had the highest crime rate in Canada last year, the city actually had their lowest crime rate since 1991.
Per capita policing costs in Canada from 1986 to 2012 have risen by 45.5 per cent, while the number of criminal code incidents per police officer have dropped 36.8 per cent, the study notes.
“Of course, declining crime rates are a good thing, and some may attribute those declining rates to an increase in police spending. But in reality, some Canadian districts maintain substantially larger police forces than their crime rates warrant while other districts maintain smaller forces despite relatively high rates of crime,” Di Matteo said in a news release.
The types and volume of calls and crimes or geographic issues may play a factor in the staffing differences, Di Matteo said in his conclusions, as could local collective bargaining requirements, negotiated workloads, technology, organizational capability, public pressure and policing styles.
“As municipalities across the country struggle with limited resources, more analysis should focus on the nature and volume of police calls, the arbitration process involving police unions, policing technology and styles, and other factors that determine police staffing levels.”
With files from Lara Schroeder
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