Too many cops?

[max_caper]

Just read an interesting article in MacLean's magazine entitled "Too many cops?". http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/08/25/too-many-cops/

Canadian crime rates are falling yet police forces continue to grow.

Blaine

 

[veebooster]

Interesting article Blaine. Thks for posting.

The authors were more balanced than I gave them credit for. Although they touched on alot of reasons for increased budgets they still fail to realize how significant the real reasons are. The police services, or local politicians, do not have any significant control over these budgets. The real culprits may surprise you somewhat. They're at the provincial, federal, and judicial level. Even the local population must accept some responsibility as they demand, and receive, ever increasing levels of service from police.

Police Services need to learn to just say "NO" that is not a police function. As for increases in salary significantly greater than the rate of inflation: I wish!

Dale #2592

 

[max_caper]

Interesting article Blaine. Thks for posting.

The authors were more balanced than I gave them credit for. Although they touched on alot of reasons for increased budgets they still fail to realize how significant the real reasons are. The police services, or local politicians, do not have any significant control over these budgets. The real culprits may surprise you somewhat. They're at the provincial, federal, and judicial level. Even the local population must accept some responsibility as they demand, and receive, ever increasing levels of service from police.

Police Services need to learn to just say "NO" that is not a police function. As for increases in salary significantly greater than the rate of inflation: I wish!

Dale #2592

Thanks for the insight on this topic, Dale. We do demand a high level of police protection and, judging by the falling crime rate, it seems to be working. Do you know if there is a need to for police services to maintain or increase the number of arrests as a statistic to prove that it needs to maintain or increase its annual budget? Now that the public is safer from the myriad of higher profile crimes will police services have to enforce the more (pardon the term) "petty" crimes like simple marijuana possession in order to keep arrests numbers in a certain range to secure the budget?

Blaine

 

[veebooster]

Thanks for the insight on this topic, Dale. We do demand a high level of police protection and, judging by the falling crime rate, it seems to be working. Do you know if there is a need to for police services to maintain or increase the number of arrests as a statistic to prove that it needs to maintain or increase its annual budget? Now that the public is safer from the myriad of higher profile crimes will police services have to enforce the more (pardon the term) "petty" crimes like simple marijuana possession in order to keep arrests numbers in a certain range to secure the budget?

Blaine

I would say no to that Blaine. I do know that here we've had a big push for increased traffic enforcement. There are those that say it is simply for revenue. The service doesn't get a cent of tickets. The Region does though. We've had the highest per capita fatal collisions in the province for years. In response we have increased enforcement significantly. Although more time is needed to evaluate the numbers our fatalities have dropped in half for 2 years running now. I know it's more complex than just tickets but it does appear to have had an effect.
As for petty drug crimes - I have long believed that we expend a great deal of $ to prosecute pot etc. The courts do nothing with these charges so why do we continue t0 pursue them? Valid point indeed.

Dale #2592