London police are the latest organization feeling the financial pinch of provincial funding cuts.
The service is facing a $638,000 shortfall because the government is restructuring how it doles out grant money, according to a report going before the London Police Services Board on Thursday afternoon.
The report says three grant programs, the Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy, the Community Policing Partnership, and the Safer Communities, 1,000 Officers Partnership have been eliminated, which means the service is losing out on more than $2.5 million.
It expects to receive about $1.9 million by applying for a new grant, dubbed the Community Safety and Policing grant, but that still leaves the service with a $638,000 gap.
The report from London police’s financial services says they’ll look into additional funds available through the Gun and Gang Specialized Investigations fund, which “will support joint forces operations that target crime areas which fuel gang operations such as drug, gun, and organized human trafficking.”
It says they’ll also look into a third funding stream specific to guns and drugs, human trafficking and sexual violence.
But it’s unclear how much funding London police can get through either of those programs. There is a total of $9 million available through both streams for the entire province.
Thursday’s board meeting begins at London City Hall at 1 p.m.