CRIME: WHAT'S FAIR A FAIR SHARE

A Metropolitan Police Force Would Make for a More Cost-Efficient And
Effective System, Its Advocates Argue, but Municipal Politicians Are
Determined to Hold on to Local Control

If you want an example of the uneven nature of policing in the Lower
Mainland, consider this:

Let's say you're a resident of Vancouver and woke up this morning to
find your car broken into and your stereo, CDs and camera snatched.

The Vancouver police, stretched to the limit with violent crimes and
drug dealing on the Downtown Eastside, wouldn't send an officer out to
investigate unless the value of your stolen property was more than
$10,000.

"Under $10,000, we'll take [a report] over the phone -- unless there's
some extenuating circumstances," said VPD spokesman Const. Tim Fanning.

Now let's say you live in West Vancouver and woke up to find your car,
not broken into, but merely "keyed" -- a long scratch in the paint
along the driver's side door.

You call police to report the minor act of vandalism -- and they
assure you that a patrol car is on its way.

"We'll send an officer up to look at the damage and follow-up to see
if there is anything that links it to a suspect," said Sgt. Paul
Skelton of the West Vancouver police.

Indeed, there aren't many crimes that West Vancouver police won't send
an officer to.

"Our motto in West Vancouver in 'no call too small,' " said
Skelton.

Minor shoplifting incidents -- which many police forces leave to store
security to investigate -- merit a visit from a patrol car in West
Vancouver.

So do "gas-no-pay" cases, where someone fills their tank and drives
off without paying.

"A file that might seem minor in nature, that may not be a priority in
other areas, officers here can follow-up," said Skelton.

Indeed, sometimes there is so little crime to investigate in West
Vancouver that police actually have to go out looking for some.

Skelton said officers will often drive around the district, typing
licence plate numbers into their computers, just looking for stolen
cars.

"As opposed to just responding to calls for service, we're actually
out there patrolling the back alleys and walking the beaches looking
for stuff," said Skelton.

They certainly have the time.

According to the most recent statistics produced by the B.C.
government, West Vancouver has the most underworked police force in
the Lower Mainland.

The average "case burden" in West Vancouver -- the number of crimes
per officer, per year -- is just 44.

That's about half the workload of the region's most overworked
municipal force, New Westminster, at 87.

One might assume that's because the rich residents of West Vancouver
are willing to shell out more for their police service.

But, in fact, the two most overworked municipal police forces in the
region -- Vancouver and New Westminster -- are also the most expensive.

The average Vancouver resident spends $282 per year for policing,
while New Westminster residents spend $245.

West Vancouverites, by comparison, spend just $198.

The real reason for the workload gap is that "core" cities like
Vancouver and New Westminster, with their inner-city drug problems,
have a lot more crime than bedroom communities like West Vancouver.

New Westminster, in particular, faces unique challenges.

On paper, it is a small city to police -- with just 60,000 residents
and 16 square kilometres.

But it sits at the crossroads of the region, with hundreds of
thousands of commuters travelling through every day and many from
outside municipalities coming in to work and play.

The city also suffers the fallout from policing in neighbouring
jurisdictions, said Deputy Chief Mike Judd.

"If Vancouver or Surrey ... do a major crackdown in their area, it
tends to displace some of that activity into our area," he said. "It's
tough when you're a [crime] analyst in New Westminster, because you
have to be checking what's going on in neighbouring
jurisdictions."

Despite the high workload, he said, his force still prides itself on
responding in person to every call.

But he concedes that, after that initial response, some files don't
get as much attention as he'd like.

"Certainly, your case burden will dictate, to a certain extent, how
much you can dig in on a file," said Judd.

In comparison, Skelton said police in West Vancouver often have the
luxury of following up on investigative leads for even minor files.

Perhaps not surprisingly, then, West Vancouver's record for solving
cases is a lot better.

According to Statistics Canada, the "clearance rate" for property
crimes in West Vancouver -- the percentage of cases closed -- is 17.8
per cent.

In New Westminster, it's 10.5 per cent.

However, there are some drawbacks to West Vancouver's calmer
pace.

"There's not as much excitement for the younger police officers, maybe
not as many long-term career options," said Skelton. "We've lost quite
a few [officers] over the last few years."

The case burdens at RCMP detachments cannot be easily compared to
municipal forces because detachments receive significant
administrative support from "E" Division, the RCMP's provincial
policing arm.

But among RCMP detachments, there are still wide gaps.

The case burden in Langley City, the busiest RCMP detachment in the
region, is 127.

That's more than twice the workload in the least busy detachment,
North Vancouver District, at 62.

North Vancouver RCMP Const. John MacAdam said the lower workload in
his detachment makes a difference.

"It allows the investigators to look further into all their
investigations and not have to disregard some of the smaller things,"
he said.

The Lower Mainland's policing situation is unusual.

Most major cities in Canada, including Toronto and Montreal, have
metropolitan police forces.

Some argue Greater Vancouver should have a regional force,
too.

Rob Gordon, director of the school of criminology at Simon Fraser
University and an expert on policing said our current system "makes no
sense at all and it's costing us all a great deal."

A metro force, Gordon argued, would not only be more equitable --
ensuring citizens of New Westminster receive as quick a police
response as those on the north shore -- but would also improve
policing for everyone by reducing bureaucracy and jurisdictional
squabbling on things like serial-killer investigations.

But Gordon, who has been advocating a metro force for more than two
decades, said he's not optimistic -- because most municipalities like
having their own police force, even if it's an overworked one.

The incentive to keep your own force is obvious for a place like West
Vancouver.

A region-wide police force would almost certainly reallocate officers
to more crime-ridden areas, reducing the level of service in the suburbs.

West Vancouver mayor Ron Wood, for example, is on record as saying he
wants nothing to do with a metro force.

But he's not the only one leery of the idea.

Two years ago, then-solicitor-general Rich Coleman floated a proposal
to create a new integrated police service out of the 16 RCMP
detachments in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.

The idea was so unpopular that the mayors of two cities with RCMP
detachments -- Surrey and Burnaby -- openly considered establishing
their own municipal forces to avoid it.

Since then, the RCMP has proceeded far more cautiously on integration,
setting up special units to deal with things like homicides and auto
crime, but leaving local patrol units intact.

"There's an inability to move forward out of fear of incurring the
wrath of the electorate," said Gordon. "There needs to be political
will to actually do it and that political will needs to be emanating
from Victoria."

In 1994, then-B.C. Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal recommended a
metro force for Vancouver in his royal commission on policing.

Oppal is now the province's attorney-general, but policing is the
responsibility of his colleague, Solicitor-General John Les.

And in an interview, Les said he has no intention of creating a metro
force as long as RCMP integration initiatives continue.

"I am loath to wander into the amalgamation issue," he
said.

Judd knows full well the obstacles that stand in the way of a metro
force.

New Westminster's police force was established in 1873, three months
before the North West Mounted Police, the force that would become the
RCMP, and has been patrolling the city ever since.

"New West [police] has a long, proud history," said Judd. "I know the
concern from most politicians ... They don't necessarily want to
relinquish that into some big entity."

But Judd -- stressing that he speaks for himself, not the force --
said he finds the arguments for metro policing compelling.

"My gut feeling is I think it's where we're going," he said. "And I'm
actually a little surprised that the Lower Mainland hasn't gone to
that kind of model."

[sidebars]

POLICING AT WHAT PRICE?:

Which forces work hardest, the cost of enforcement

POLICE CASE BURDENS, 2003

The number of criminal code offences per officer, excluding traffic
offences.

Municipal Police Departments

New Westminster 87

Vancouver 65

Port Moody 53

Delta 51

West Vancouver 44

RCMP Detachments

Case burdens in RCMP detachments are not directly comparable to those
in municipal police departments because detachments receive
significant administrative and operational support from "E" Division,
the provincial RCMP unit.

Langley City 127

Maple Ridge 125

Port Coquitlam 123

Coquitlam 118

Surrey 117

Burnaby 105

Langley Township 101

North Vancouver City 85

White Rock 84

Pitt Meadows 82

Richmond 77

North Vancouver District 62

Source: B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor-General

POLICE SPENDING PER CAPITA, 2003

The amount each municipality spends per person on policing.

Municipal police departments

Vancouver $282

New Westminster $245

West Vancouver $198

Delta $182

Port Moody $163

RCMP detachments

The federal government picks up 10 per cent of the tab for RCMP
detachments in large cities, meaning municipalities policed by the
RCMP do not need to cover as much of the cost of policing as those
with their own municipal departments.

Langley City $226

North Vancouver City $169

White Rock $161

Langley Township $153

Richmond $144

Burnaby $140

North Vancouver District $130

Surrey $130

Maple Ridge $127

Port Coquitlam $116

Coquitlam $115

Pitt Meadows $112

Source - Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor-General, Vancouver Sun