SECU Committee Report

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE ECONOMICS OF POLICING REPORT

1.               The report of the committee on the cost of policing across Canada is quite comprehensive in terms of the costs associated with policing.

2.               However, the committee was presented with a number of proposals which could contribute to cost reduction without compromising public safety or officer safety.

3.               The committee was challenged on the issue of determining the relationship between police staffing levels and crime rates. The committee was told that the relationship is not entirely clear.

4.               This point was made evident in Statistics Canada report (Police Resources in Canada 2012). According to this report in 2011 there were more than 69,400 police officers in Canada. Total expenditures were $12.9 billion, the incidents per officer were 28.6 and criminal code incidents were 1.98 million In 1991— two decades earlier there — were 56,700 police officer, the total expenditures were $5.4 billion, the incidents per officer were 51.1 and finally the number of criminal code incidents were 2.89 million. The number of criminal code incidents has been in steady decline as have the number of incidents per officer while the total cost has increased steadily.

Recommendation 1: That the government provide to the committee an analysis with respect to the direct correlation between crime and specifically the crime rate and policing.

5.               Evidence presented to the committee clearly indicated that community based policing is the most effective in many respects given the integration of other community services and the community generally does contribute to a reduction in terms of the cost of policing services.

6.               Among one of the models which has demonstrated its effectiveness is the Community Mobilization Prince Albert program. Based on a holistic approach of integrating a number of critical community agencies in meeting and discussing individual cases which require a specific course of action. Such awareness within the community of those who are most vulnerable and on that basis efforts can, and are taken to intercede. This initiative is clearly beneficial from a community and policing perspective with the Prince Albert Police Service reporting a 35% reduction in calls since the CMPA program has been underway. This model according to the evidence can be utilized in both urban and rural communities as well as Aboriginal communities.

Recommendation 2: That the federal government in cooperation with provincial, territorial and municipal governments and community groups  undertake a series of pilot projects based on the Prince Albert CMPA initiative.

7.               Throughout the evidence — the Vancouver Police Service, the Halifax Police Service, the Calgary Police Service to identify three, submitted that police forces across the country have to deal on an ever increasing basis with individuals suffering from serious mental health issues and as such, is imposing a serious cost on those police entities.

8.               The committee was told that the ability of police services to respond to mental health issues is directly related to the investment made to the health system locally which would include mental health support infrastructure, the demographics of a community, and the training of officers.

9.               The extent of the problem was put forward by the Government of Saskatchewan which indicated that many police agencies have actually had to move health care staff into cellblocks to mitigate the risks of 80% to 95% of detainees with addiction issues and 30% of which have mental health issues. The Edmonton Police Service indicated that in a single year it dealt with 35,000 calls relating to mental health, addictions and the homeless.

Recommendation 3: That the federal government through Public Safety and Emergency Planning and Health Canada develop a National Mental Health Strategy that would address the critical issue of downloading of certain responsibilities onto policing services. In particular, the responsibilities of focus should be those that would be better addressed by social workers or other health care providers who are specifically trained to respond to those suffering from mental illness or other disorders. This national initiative should be undertaken in cooperation with provincial, territorial and municipal representatives.

As part of that development process the federal government in cooperation with the provinces and territories should release a white paper on the issue of mental health issues. The white paper should contain a comprehensive analysis of such issues and the response of governments to this health care crisis. Moreover, it should focus on the relationship between policing and the increasing incidence of law enforcement officials serving as the first and in some cases the only contact between society and those suffering from mental health issues, addiction problems and homelessness.

Finally, the white paper should outline various measures to address the growing problem of mental illness. The white paper should be released by December 31, 2014, should be the focus of cross-country consultations with stakeholders to be concluded by June 30, 2015. Following the consultations and in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments, the federal government should exercise leadership in developing a national strategy on mental health. The national strategy should be completed by December 31, 2015.

10.           A major cost driver with respect to policing, are the human resource expenditures which are typically in the range of 80% to 90% of police service budgets. It is critical that as the report states, “fundamental changes in the way policing is delivered must be considered.”

11.           One of the undertakings to respond to this cost situation is the increased use of civilians, volunteers and auxiliaries in providing non-front line police services. These non-front line services could include not only clerical and administrative work but detention services, arrest and release processing, prisoner monitoring and transportation, summons and subpoena services, crime scene security, by-law enforcement, electronic ticketing, non-criminal fingerprinting and police clearances, photo radar operations, inventory and front desk management and 911 dispatches. 

Recommendation 4: That the federal government in any funding arrangements with provinces., territories or municipalities require that they demonstrate a higher integration of non-front line police services being conducted by non-front line officers.

12.           One of the issues of serious concern has been the cost of policing in rural and remote areas of the country. According to the report the average cost of policing in Canada is $370 per person. The average cost for policing in the territories is $1,000. The average cost per officer in the north for example is $220,000 compared to $121,000 in southern Canada.

13.           Most of the cost is borne by the RCMP in these regions with the force providing contract policing to eight provinces, three territories and approximately 150 communities. In rural and remote regions of the country response times are far longer than those in urban and suburban communities — a reality not dissimilar to that for people living in rural Canada when it comes to other essential services such as ambulance and medical services. The associated costs for providing policing services will be higher and that reality must be reflected in future budgets.

14.           The critical difference is that in rural and remote communities the police detachment — even if comprised of a single or two officers — is often far more significant than in urban areas. Often times that officer is the only government representative on the ground in a community or serving a number of communities. Thus that officer or detachment is the link to the wider community which can provide needed assistance.

Recommendation 5: The federal government, working with the provinces and territories and with affected communities to which it provides contract RCMP services must develop a strategy which will provide certainty in terms of costing and contributions, working cooperatively to develop a strategy with respect to recruiting and toward a strategy of developing a wider community involvement in law enforcement — whether through increased civilian, auxiliary or volunteers.

15.           The committee did take note of the increased use of private security companies and officers to provide what previously would have fallen within the purview of the community police forces. The committee noted that this industry is growing where at this point for every two police officers in Canada there are three private security officers.

16.           The use of private police/security is one which should be of concern specifically in the area of accountability and professional standards both of which are quite rightly imposed and expected from our police forces across the country.

17.           While there is a place within the policing structure for working on an integrated basis with other organizations and making use of non-front line officers for specific duties, the increased presence of private, for profit security entities should be carefully analyzed and specific regulatory structures should be established.

Recommendation 6: That the federal government through the department of Public Safety and Emergency Planning develop a strategy with provincial and territorial governments, specifically where a contracting RCMP presence is currently provided, into the role and function of private security providers with the objective being to develop a set of regulations and guidelines under which those entities will be held both to a specific standard of accountability and professionalism.