POLICE COSTS PERTURB POLITICIANS

Rising policing costs are prompting Esquimalt councillors to call for
a meeting with their counterparts in Victoria.

"It's giving us a real budget problem. In order to reduce the 9.9 per
cent to something more manageable we're going to have to do
something about it: either cutting services or delaying projects that
we want to do," Esquimalt Coun. Hy Freedman said.

Esquimalt's budget for 2007 could result in a 9.9 per cent property
tax increase, largely driven by an increase of just under $425,000
for its share of police costs.

While Esquimalt pays 14 per cent of the overall budget for the
Victoria Police Department, the town doesn't have any control over it
as once Victoria council determines the budget, said Esquimalt Mayor
Chris Clement.

"That's one of the reasons why council decided to protest that and
whether that has any effect remains to be seen," he said. "We're
essentially going to write a letter to Victoria and say, 'Look, we
need to talk about this because it's hurting us.'"

Overtime is a main factor behind escalating police costs. Esquimalt
council has protested and Clement pointed out that the police board
has instructed the Victoria Police Department to cut back overtime.

To reduce overtime in the long run it will be necessary to get to the
roots of crimes that are causing police to work extra hours, Clement said.

The cost of conducting major investigations is high, particularly
with the related ever-increasing level of paperwork involved, he said.

The increasing demands on police services have much to do with
substance abuse, mental illness and homelessness, Clement said.

The province has offloaded many responsibilities concerning those
issues to the police, he said.

"You can't just keep pushing up the police budget and expect us to
bear those costs." One option is to request help from the province,
which ordered Esquimalt to amalgamate its police services with
Victoria's in 2002, Clement said.

Coun. Jane Sterk agreed that a new approach to crime is needed to
control policing costs.

"I think that when you look at police activities being 85 per cent
involved with people with substance abuse that it's time for us to
say as a society that this isn't working," she said.

"We need to reinvest in social support systems and social programs
that can deal with the cause rather than the symptoms."