5 things you need to know about York Regional Police's $397M budget

Violent crime and shootings are way up despite COVID-19, budget set to reach almost $415M by 2022

Yorkregion.com
May 18, 2021
Jeremy Grimaldi

The annual York Regional Police budget is one that has the ability to interest almost anyone in the region, from crime statistics to policing costs, it’s definitely a document that can get people talking.

1. While many might expect COVID-19 to result in a lowering of almost all crimes, that’s quite simply not the case. What’s worse is the types of crimes that are rising are the type no one wants. Organized, violent and often harder to solve. The numbers do not paint a pretty picture, including: 308 per cent increase in organized crime (from 886 incidents in 2016 to 3,617 in 2020), a 259 per cent rise in shootings (from 17 to 61), a 138 per cent rise in cyber crimes (from 1,140 to 2,714) and a 30 per cent increase in violent crimes (from 6,795 to 8,830), all of which rose even with COVID-19.

Violent crime and shootings up in York Region

2. As with violent crime, the budget is also rising, now reaching almost $400 million, more precisely $396.8 million gross expenditure. By 2022, the force expects to be spending $414,906,000.

That money will go to the 2,354 current staff and the 23 additional staff the force has added at a cost of $3.2 million. The numbers will bear out with 11 more members tackling organized crime, 11 to improve staff mental health wellness and 1 for help reporting major collisions reconstruction, which now has to be peer reviewed prior to court.

3. While it’s clear criminals are becoming more technology savvy, so are the cops. The budget outlined a number of new schemes that range from cruisers being outfitted with automated licence plate readers to investigators collecting remote video testimony, sometimes in cruisers or possibly via Zoom.

The force is planning to spend millions over the next decade updating equipment: $60 million to replace cruisers, marine patrol boats and their helicopter. $33 million will go to new radio system and portable radios, $46 million to a digital evidence management which will give the community a portal to submit digital evidence, $54 million on renovations including the new Newmarket police station which is to be completed by the end of the year. $21 million is to be spent on body armour, furniture, guns for new members, Tasers and investigation software.

4. Despite the rises, York Region remains one of the safest communities of its size in the country. COVID-19 has fuelled a drop in a number of crimes including crimes against property which was down 13 per cent, break and enters down 25 per cent, impaired down 15 per cent.

5. On a larger scale it’s becoming apparent that the decades-long drop in crime that York Region and much of the nation experienced in 2014 in crime is rapidly fading. Numbers have since continued to rise in all three measurements, including: crime severity, violent crime severity and non-violent crime severity.

All police budgets since 2017 can be found here.