Citing a rise in methamphetamine use and a redeployment of provincial funding to other areas, the Moose Jaw Police Service is asking for the City to hire a new officer for the force in 2020.

The Board of Police Commissioners has submitted their 2020 budget operating estimates to City Council and while there are several moderate increases compared to last year for equipment and day-to-day expenditures across the board, the most essential increase is the addition of one officer in a brand new position.  

An Immediate Priority Officer (IPO) will be hired next August if council’s approval is obtained. According to the budget submission, the purpose of the IPO will be to float between the various departments of the force to provide support where needed, which will hopefully decrease overtime costs and alleviate resource allocation strains. 

The budget submission suggests the strains are due to a rise of crime in the city, including a 122 percent increase in violent crime, much of it at least a side effect of methamphetamine use, since 2013. 

This rise occurring in tandem with what the budget submission calls a redeployment of provincial funding from prevention work and serious crime investigation to traffic safety and “other provincial priorities.”

In 2015, the Moose Jaw Police Service laid ten charges relating to meth use. By 2018, that number increased by 550 percent to 55 charges. 

In August, the province announced a total of $690,000 in funding for the Moose Jaw Police Service 2019-20 year. The 2018-19 funds were the same. That was an increase of 47 percent compared to 2017-18 and 2016-17.

The service has attempted to adapt its existing resource allocation structures and introduce new programs such as the Police and Crisis Team to reduce the negative impacts of crime in the community, however, the submission states that these issues persist.

The City currently employs 57 police officers and 19 full-time support staff. In 2018, in order to effectively and safely provide service to the community, members were called 52 times to cover shift shortages totalling $55,709 in overtime costs. In only the first eight months of 2019, members were called out 44 times at a cost, so far, of $46,300. 

When compared to other forces in the province,  the Moose Jaw Police works with the lowest number of officers per capita, and the Canadian Centre for Justice has indicated that Moose Jaw's crime rate was higher than what was reported in Saskatoon, Regina, Weyburn and Estevan in 2018.

 

The submission also suggests that even though 57 officers are currently under employee status, that doesn’t mean all of them are always active in the force. Parental leave, sick leave and injuries, (one member has reported an increase in mental health and PTSD concerns, with “little optimism of ever returning to regular duties”) temporary vacancies, and training time all chip away at the force’s effectiveness. 

The total increase for member salaries in 2020, including the new IPO officer, would constitute an estimated $273,944. That's a 3.42 percent increase compared to 2019, and the largest dollar value increase on the submission. The second-highest, $53,084, will go towards member pensions.

 

Factored into the overall budget for next year is the expected revenue for next year, $1,377,599, which is 5.39 percent higher than last year. That brings the net revenue budget for the Police Service in 2020 to $10,129,563.

The submission was received and filed by City Council. Councillors and administration will undergo a review of the information and issue a decision at the City’s next budget meeting.