POLICE BUDGET BREAKS THROUGH $100 MILLION MARK

Morelli defends budget saying it's lower than Halton, Niagara, but
high due to seniority pay

Hamilton's Police Services proposed 2005 budget has broken through the
$100 million level.

For the fifth year in a row, the police budget rose, with this year's
proposed budget jumping $4.5 million, from $98.2 million last year to
a proposed $102.8 million.

"Of the $4.5 million, $3.9 million is for wages and salaries," said
Hamilton councillor and Hamilton Police Services Board chair Bernie
Morelli.

"We are fiscally well managed and are lowest in relation to Halton
Region and Niagara Region."

Halton Region Police Services is proposing for 2005 an $80 million
budget, while the London Police Services budget is rising from $59
million to $63 million.

The Hamilton Police Services proposed budget includes a decrease in
its capital budget of about $162,000 from last year.

The higher salary and wage increases are due, said Mr. Morelli, to
arbitrated salary settlements and seniority pay that the police
service is unable to control.

The police board chair said the service is at the mercy of other
police service settlements. If a police union in Toronto establishes a
higher wage rate, then the rest of Ontario police services are
expected to follow, he said.

Hamilton council still has to approve of the budget. It is expected to
be supported, but only after councillors complete their budget
deliberations in February 2005. The city's 2005 budget is scheduled to
be approved Feb. 28.

A recent Statistics Canada report revealed that the Hamilton Police
Services ranked 11th out of 17 large police services in terms of
solving crimes.

Yet Mr. Morelli applauded the city's police service for its recent
crack down on the city's drug plague. As well, the police have
targeted the city's prolific marijuana drug operations.

"Our crime statistics are relatively good," said Mr. Morelli. "They've
done some great stuff cracking down on cocaine. We're pleased. This
has been a constant work in progress."

He looks to Toronto and what the city has been going through over the
last few weeks with a series of violent murders, and applauds
Hamilton's cops and residents for creating a more inviting
environment.

"Compared to Toronto where they are having a murder a night, we have a
pretty safe community," he said.

The Hamilton Police Services' levy has increased more than the
country's inflation rate over the last five years, ranging from 7.6
per cent in 2001, to 7.9 per cent in 2003 to 6.9 per cent in 2004.

Last year's budget was $98.2 million, after a $6.3 million increase,
from the previous year's $91.9 million budget.

Statistics Canada stated in a reported released this month that
spending on policing across the country has been increasing faster
than inflation over the past six years including a four per cent hike
between 2002 and 2003.

Since 1997, expenditure on policing has risen 22 per cent.

Canadians paid $8.3 billion for policing services in 2003, an average
of $263 per person.