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Guelph police chief hopes to add more officers, be more proactive

Guelph police chief Gord Cobey in file photo. The police services board has passed the service's multi-year capital and operating budgets and forwarded its recommendations to council.
Guelph police chief Gord Cobey in file photo. The police services board has passed the service's multi-year capital and operating budgets and forwarded its recommendations to council. Scott Tracey/GPS

The Guelph Police Service is hoping it will be able to add new officers over the next four years.

The police services board passed the service’s multi-year capital and operating budgets and forwarded its recommendations to council.

The police budget for 2024 sees about $61.4 million in operating expenditures and about $6.6 million in capital costs.

Most of the budget was based on a report on the service delivery review by KPMG Canada.

“It’s been over a year’s worth of work. A lot of external stakeholders, KPMG brought to the Guelph Police Service a very comprehensive understanding of the city,” said Guelph Police Chief Gord Cobey.

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“Based on the board’s approval, I’m hopeful that council will support the board’s budget.”

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In the report, it found that Guelph had the fewest number of officers answering the most calls. The report suggested 19 new officers be hired in order for the police force to maintain its current level of service.

Cobey said the board understands that bringing in 19 new officers is a bit much, especially with some of the pressures in other areas of the budget that the city is facing.

“What we’ve proposed (to council) is we’re phasing in new positions over the next four years.”

Cobey focused much of his presentation to the board and to council at their recent budget meeting on having the police force be more proactive, especially in the downtown area.

“Some members of our community go to sleep wondering if their car is going to be stolen out of their driveway,” Cobey said.

He also touched on the importance of helping the officers who serve on the police force by making sure that the resources and supports are there when they need them.

“We can’t support our citizens if we don’t realize that our employees are exposed to countless incidents of trauma over and over again.”

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