HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH?

The cost of policing in North Bay is continually rising. We learned
recently 13 members of the North Bay Police Service earned more than
$100,000 in 2006. A new contract and overtime costs are driving the
budget higher and municipal taxpayers are reeling with tax hikes
almost triple the rate of inflation.

At the same time, the police board tells the public crime is declining
in the city. Police Chief Paul Cook told the board Tuesday most
criminal categories are down, with the exception being theft over
$5,000 and drug offences - many are charges for simple possession of
marijuana, a relatively innocuous substance that at one time was going
to be decriminalized.

There is no drug epidemic in North Bay, at least no different than
most other communities its size.

There has been a "significant" decline in the number of assaults and
fewer cases of break and enter.

The question is simple: Do we have such a great police service with
the right number of dedicated officers, or is society changing
concerning crime?

Crime is down across most of the country.

If society is changing, do we have a "Cadillac" police service that is
costing too much?

Certainly, provincial downloading of court security costs has caused a
significant increase in the police budget, as has sick leave, retro
pay and paid officers not performing duty.

Perhaps the size of our police service should be examined. Taxpayers
deserve at least an explanation and study comparing dedicated policing
hours, number of officers and associated costs compared with cities of
a similar size.

We're not picking on police, but only one firefighter - the chief -
made the $100,000 list. They put their lives on the line too.

So, another question: Is a constable or sergeant worth $100,000 or
more?

That's for the taxpayers to decide, not a union, arbitrator or a
government.

We disagree with Cook the $100,000 is less significant now than when
it was first released years ago. It's a good marker for taxpayers to
see where their public service tax dollars are spent.

It's a tool for taxpayers to use when their governments are building
budgets and continually raising taxes.