Winnipeg police to reduce complement by 15 officers due to flat provincial funding
Central processing unit affected, along with two joint task forces with RCMP
The Winnipeg Police Service plans to cut back on its complement of officers by 15 positions due to flat funding from the province.
Winnipeg's police plan to cancel the fall recruit class and scale back the service's overall complement through attrition, the police service states in its first-quarter financial report to the Winnipeg Police Board.
"A recruit class of 40 was hired on February 7, 2017. There will not be a 2017 fall recruit class. Recruit classes have been smaller the last few years as attrition has been below the 10-year average," states the report, which comes before the police board on Friday.
"Reductions in externally funded contracts have also reduced the authorized complement, and as a result, recruit class size."
Police Chief Danny Smyth clarified the funding in question comes from the province. He said the province's decision not to increase its police funding for the city this year will result in six fewer positions in the police's central processing unit and contributed to the Winnipeg Police Service's decision to suspend two integrated organized-crime and warrant task forces, which paired up city police and RCMP officers.
Three city police worked in the warrant task force and six in the organized crime unit. They will be redeployed into other police units, while the complement cut will be achieved through attrition, Smyth said.
Smyth said the changes should not affect crime prevention or enforcement in Winnipeg. He said the police already had some concerns about the organized-crime task force, given that the Mounties are more concerned with national or regional gangs, while the Winnipeg Police Service has more numerous and smaller organized-crime targets.
"We are certainly open to opportunities in the future should they present themselves, to come together for a specific cause."
The flat provincial funding has created a $1.2-million shortfall in the 2017 police budget, primarily because the city was counting on increased funding for its police helicopter and cadet program.
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The first-quarter financial report states the city will not hire as many cadets this year.
Winnipeg Police Association president Moe Sabourin deferred comment, citing an upcoming vote by his membership on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Winnipeg Police Board chair David Asper deferred comment to this Friday's meeting.
