Hamilton police request $195.85-million budget for 2023

Hamilton's police services board is asking the city for a 6.71 per cent increase to next year's police budget as demands on the force continue to swell, according to board members.

The proposed hike would bring the combined operating and capital budget to $195.85-million in 2023 - marking a $12.3-million increase from the financial plan approved in 2022.

The budget, presented by Chief Frank Bergen, was given a green light during the board's Dec. 15 meeting. It will be deliberated on by council in early January.

Speaking to the board, Bergen broke down the budgetary constraints, noting that a majority of the pressures" are rooted in employee-related costs, which account for 4.28 per cent - or $7.85-million - of the overall request.

That includes salaries, employer benefits, and collective agreement increases, which Bergen pointed to as the main cost driver" to the budget. The force will also be hiring 18 new civilian members and 13 sworn officers, he added.

Bergen said the additional funds are needed to appropriately resource our service to reflect the realities of policing in the interest of this community."

At 414,372 so far this year, calls to police have increased by 10.13 per cent over five years, with 911 calls at 223,825 last year, marking a 13 per cent jump over the same period, he noted.

This is not an anomaly," said Bergen. This is the new normal."

Incidents that require a police response have also climbed since last year, said Bergen, while noting homicides - which have declined by 71 per cent - as the exception.

The number of crime guns" seized by police jumped by 10 per cent, the number of shootings has grown by 26 per cent and the number of motor-vehicle fatalities rose by 31 per cent.

To break down the way policing costs add up, Bergen pointed to the fatal Main Street crash where DARTS bus driver Sherri D'Amour was struck and killed back in May.

That collision took 632 hours to investigate, involved 39 members and cost at least $31,208, according to his presentation.

Bergen said the cumulative cost of this year's high number of fatal motor-vehicle collisions is estimated at an extra $600,000 in investigative time, meaning officers weren't available for proactive traffic safety engagement, education and enforcement."

Bergen said the city also ranks fifth in Ontario on the violent-crime severity index, which speaks further to the pressure on our resources."

Policing remains a people business and that business is increasingly becoming more complex," said Bergen. We know our calls for service are increasing ... (and) our workload is increasing."

Coun. Cameron Kroetsch was the lone critic of the budget, expressing concern about the lack of community input in the financial plan.

I just don't see their voice in this budget," said Kroetsch, a former LGBTQ advisory committee chair who has pushed for the reallocation of police funding to other sectors such as housing and social services. I think if it was, we'd see a different budget."

Coun. Esther Pauls, whose son is Hamilton a police officer, offered her support for hiring more officers, noting that a strong city needs (a) strong police force."

Vice-chair Fred Bennink described the budget as fiscally responsible," adding that it will ensure police bring adequate and effective service to our community."

Fallon Hewitt is a reporter at The Spectator. fhewitt@thespec.com