Extra cash from COVID-19 vaccine site shifts can't balance 2021 Winnipeg police overspending: report

The Winnipeg Police Service made more money than expected in 2021, but it still went over budget.

The WPS went over its almost $313 million budget by $8.01 million, according to the service's final financial report for 2021. The report was published Monday morning ahead of Friday's police board meeting.

Much of the overspending is connected to salaries and benefits, which also take up the majority of the budget. The report states the service expected to spend $270.6 million on paying its staff, but spent closer to $272 million. That's due to a boost in pension payments mandated every three years by the collective agreement, according to the report.

Overall, the service brought in $5 million more than it expected for the year. The WPS made $52.1 million when it only expected to bring in $47.1 million. Much of that increase is due to officers' work at COVID-19 vaccination centres through the year, the report states.

Police chief Danny Smyth won't comment until the matter appears before the police board, a WPS spokesperson said.

Cutting costs through overtime, vacant positions

The report states Winnipeg police worked 46 protests and rallies related to COVID-19 health measures, spending $160,000 in total.

Overtime, however, wasn't a financial issue in 2021, with the service spending only $6.1 million out of its $8.86 million allotment. 

"Overtime use is impacted by the volume of major critical incidents and complexity of investigations, as well as the public health order restrictions," the report reads.

The cut in overtime — coupled with the intentional act of leaving some positions vacant after retirements — were attempts to cut over-expenditure costs, according to the service's last report to the police board. The city approved the service's request for overspending late last year, but only by $7.3 million — the original request was $15 million. In the end, the city told the service to find $6.1 million in savings.

"It does demonstrate that they are willing to work with council and meet the expectations that are set out, recognizing they're policing in very, very difficult times," said Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River), in an interview.

The chair of the police board went on to describe how the Omicron wave of the pandemic forced so many members to call in sick that the service declared an internal state of emergency.

According to a written update from police chief Danny Smyth to the police board, that emergency ended Feb. 12. Smyth wrote that 170 members picked up extra shifts, community support units were redeployed more than 200 times, and the service put recruits into the general patrol mix earlier than normal to make up for the loss. The guns and gangs unit was never redeployed.

"That could have had a huge impact on overtime, but the service was able to manage that very effectively and move resources from within to cover off one another so that those costs did not increase," Chambers said.

How will police make money in 2022?

The police board chair did have some concerns. The savings police found leaving retirees' positions vacant and holding off on recruiting can't be expected to continue in the long run, he said, since the city is expected to grow.

"These past two years with COVID, we haven't had the influx of new immigrants coming to our city, but that will change once COVID is over," he said.

"When you look at Waverley West, Sage Creek, the Meadows in Transcona, those areas are growing ... so these are all financial impacts on the service that we have to recognize.

"So when you say the service saved $6.1 million in vacancy management and other measures taken, yes, but we also have to recognize that we continue to grow in the cost of service as also increases from an inflationary standpoint as well."

Chambers also said he plans to ask chief Smyth how the police service expects to make money in the coming year, since vaccine sites are starting to close and Liquor Marts no longer have to hire many police due to controlled entrances.

Another report submitted to the police board details where the police are at with several goals, including hiring a more diverse staff, continuing counter-exploitation projects to help Indigenous women and girls and exploring different ways to help people in crisis.

The report states the reopening of international borders in 2021 contributed to more gun violence in Winnipeg. The service's unit that investigates and analyzes firearms had "their busiest year to date," with 1,301 guns seized by police.

The higher amount of gun violence, a significant number of homicides in 2022 and Winnipeg's overall reputation of violence concerns Chambers. He said he'll be discussing how that all may affect the city's post-COVID economic recovery.

The police board will meet on Friday.