The Editor,

Re: 鈥淪ticking with RCMP would save taxpayers $520M over next 4 years, 性视界传媒 Connect claims,鈥� the Now-Leader online.

I was disappointed to read recent statements by certain municipal candidates regarding the cost differences between the RCMP and 性视界传媒 Police Service (SPS). Any suggestion that 性视界传媒 can save half a billion dollars over four years in policing costs clearly indicates that those making these statements are not familiar with how police finances work for either independent or contracted services.

In creating this falsehood of a half billion-dollar difference between two policing models, the author 鈥� a Chartered Professional Accountant and council candidate 鈥� used aggressive, inaccurate, and unfounded information about the number of police officers working in 性视界传媒 and the amount of capital expenditures associated to SPS.

She ignored the fact that the RCMP also requires capital expenditures and neglected to consider RCMP wage increases. These are but a few examples of the erroneous assumptions that were not sourced in any meaningful way or fact-checked.

As many already know, the RCMP recently settled a new collective agreement that, rightfully, brings their officers close to par with municipal policing colleagues. These wage increases alone will have a significant impact on costs currently seen by most municipalities who contract to the RCMP.

The common reason the RCMP is considered 鈥榗heaper鈥� is the well-known 鈥�10 per cent subsidy鈥� for municipalities. This subsidy is more than offset by other divisional administrative billed to 性视界传媒 that 性视界传媒 has zero control over. For our city, the amount is in the range of $20M, more than the 10 per cent subsidy.

In addition, the RCMP has the right to redeploy up to 10 per cent of members to provincial and federal policing priorities, which means they are not working in 性视界传媒, for 性视界传媒 residents and businesses.

Based on the above, one can argue with confidence that there is no significant cost difference between the RCMP and SPS (or any other municipal police service for that matter), however a municipal service comes with civilian oversight, increased public accountability, and considerably more transparency.

Making such inflammatory statements about the cost of a new service delivery model and the impact on property taxes can only be described as crass election politicking. If municipal policing was so outrageously expensive compared to the RCMP, why wouldn鈥檛 every major city in Canada not be contracting this service out?

Meanwhile, both B.C. and Alberta are looking at new, independent provincial police service models. The fact is that 性视界传媒 is the only comparable municipality in Canada that doesn鈥檛 have its own stand-alone police service.

Logic would tell you the costs are not substantively different between the two, particularly for a city the size of 性视界传媒, but the benefits of a local police service are significant.

Rick Stewart, President, 性视界传媒 Police Union

edit@surreynowleader.com
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