Additional police and drones for surveillance won’t reduce social issues despite mayoral candidates vowing to add more officers if elected, experts say.
The Winnipeg Police Service receives 27 per cent or $370 million of the City of Winnipeg’s budget, according to the city’s 2026 budget. The city’s operating budget is at $1.49 billion.
“Per capita, we are pretty high. I think usually a lot of cities that are just slightly smaller than us are around $260-290 per citizen. Winnipeg is over $350 to $360 per citizen,” said Kevin Walby, University of Winnipeg criminologist. “When we put this percentage of our money into policing year after year after year, and we don’t see any reduction in any of those issues — in fact, visibly and statistically they are much worse. You have to start to wonder why are we doing that?”
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Operating expenditures for policing in Canada totaled $22 billion in 2024-25, which is up 12 per cent from 2022-23, according to Statistics Canada.
“We are 100 police officers short of the very mere minimum of the per capita right now,” mayoral candidate Kevin Klein said on 680 CJOB.
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“We need police officers, we do, we’re both committed to adding more police officers,” mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham said, also on 680 CJOB.
Mike Vogiatzakis said he would introduce drones as a tool to watch over the city and see where problems are at CBC Manitoba’s mayoral debate.
“As mayor, I’m going to instruct the police board and the police chief,” Vogiatzakis said. “I’ll sit with them within my first 30 days. I’ll sit with them and decide how we’re gonna change the city.”
The Winnipeg Police Service declined to comment.
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*past>passed
Modular housing for homeless is a farce. Doesn’t/didn’t work. Shelters are violent and unsanitary. Offenders aren’t returned to their “home community” if the offence took place in Winnipeg, and “home community” can “ban” them regardless. Crime and crime control is like a dog chasing its tail. Some tails are much shorter and there is no solution other than holding the shorter tails accountable and should serve the maximum penalties. Private correctional facilities work in the US because they are run as businesses. There are specific standards they need to meet. Nothing fancy or comfortable. A hybrid with unionized staffing could work. The Pas facility is old and passed renovations. Milner was once minimum/medium but that has changed. Headingley is overcrowded and needs renovations. Not sure about Brandon or Dauphin. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design is moot in a majority of Winnipeg. Manitoba Housing buildings are rife with crime and violence. Some tennants are terrified to say anything. Chemically induced psychosis is commonplace. Socially accepted Indigenous organized crime has taken over units. Ahhh…but what do I know…
The days of the NDP ‘Hug a Thug’ mentality needs to end. As do the days of having 2 justice systems, one for aboriginals and one for everyone else. If they’re ‘over represented’ in prisons it’s because they’re breaking the law. Everyone needs to be punished equally. If that means we need many more police, and more prisons, then so be it. I’d rather they spend money on that than rainbow crosswalks and bike lanes.
Liberals give soft sentences in criminal court thereby encouraging crime to grow.