Police seeking largest staffing boost in years

By Chris Jones/The Oshawa Express

Durham Regional Police Services’ proposed budget for 2019 includes the department’s most significant staffing boost in nearly a decade.

DRPS has requested $1.81 million in the budget for several high priority full-time authorized staff additions, including 26 uniformed positions, and one civilian.

In all there will be 20 new frontline officer positions, five investigators meant to support the human trafficking unit, two continuous improvement staff (one uniformed and one civilian), and five communicators who are fully funded by the 911 management board.

This is the first time in nine years an addition of this many officers is included in the budget.

Regional Chair John Henry told The Oshawa Express a rise in police presence was something he heard a lot about from the public on the campaign trail.

“We have listened to the residents, and we have brought some of their concerns into this budget process,” he says.

While the police service initially presented a 5.45 per cent increase, the region’s 2019 tax guidelines dictated DRPS could not have an increase greater than approximately 3.9 per cent.

But the final budget submitted to regional council by DRPS is 3.87 per cent higher than in 2018 at $206.6 million. In 2018 DRPS’s budget was $198.9 million.

The budget is broken down into 13 categories, the first of which is community policing, with a proposed budget of $78.5 million.

Serious and organized crime’s proposed budget is $38 million, which is just under $1 million more than 2018.

The proposed budget for patrol support in 2019 is $8.15 million, an increase of $60,000 over last year’s budget.

The operational support base proposed budget for 2019 is $15.4 million, up $600,000 over 2018.

The ‘next generation’ common communications platform has a proposed budget of $1.05 million.

According to a report from police officials, the platform includes the installation of a communications radio system that will include tower sites dispatch centres and user equipment.

Administrative support has a proposed budget of $24.5 million, an increase of 2.8 million.

There is a proposed budget of $19.1 million for business services, an increase of 1.8 million.

Business services works on long-term capital planning for DRPS, as well as annual budgeting, monthly financial reporting and spending control, payroll services, internal controls, cash receipts and disbursements, grant applications, paid duties, and false alarm management.

The proposed budget for DRPS’s executive branch is $4.2 million, a $26,000 jump from 2018.

The Durham Region Police Services Board will have a budget of $585,000 in 2019, up $15,000 from last year.

In all, net operating program expenses in 2019 have a proposed budget of slightly under $191.2 million.

In 2019, contributions to the DRPS helicopter Air1 will remain the same as it was in 2018 at $150,000, as will the debt servicing charges at $11.5 million.

The service is proposing a budget of $3.8 million for tangible capital assets, up from 2018’s restated budget of $3.64 million.

Tangible capital assets include vehicles, computer equipment, intelligence equipment, building components, furniture, operational police equipment, and additional equipment.

The budget will now be sent to the region’s finance and administration committee for review before final approval later in March.