Winnipeg police overtime costs soar as demands on service increase: report

Winnipeg police officers have had a busy year and the service expects that to continue.

The latest budget update from Winnipeg Police Service shows overtime costs have soared this year, with year-to-date numbers increasing 17 per cent compared with the same period last year. By the end of 2024, the overtime costs are forecast to be $11.8 million, up from $7.7 million in 2023 — a 53 per cent rise.

The overtime levels are not sustainable, police board chair Coun. Markus Chambers said in an interview with CBC.

"In terms of violent crime, in terms of the public order events, those are all things that continue to happen, quite likely right through till the end of the year," Chambers told reporters on Monday.

"We recognize we have to have a strategy in place so that we're not adding to these costs through overtime [and] not burning out our officers."

Homicides, street demonstrations, and a retail theft initiative are all factors driving police officers to work more hours.

So far, there have been 29 homicides in Winnipeg this year. There were 43 in total in 2023.

Also, police officers spent nearly 6,900 hours attending protests and other special events in the second quarter of this year — more than double the previous three months.

Retail theft has also been a growing concern. In May, the police service launched an initiative to target areas where retail theft was rampant, using money from the provincial government. The province announced funding in August to extend the program until the end of October. However, the service projects overtime costs will be over-budget by more than $2.3 million, contributing to a total projected deficit of $3.76 million.

"Overtime trend will continue as additional general patrol cars are regularly being added to address high volume of calls for service, and callouts are being used to meet minimum staffing requirements as required by the collective agreement and to ensure public safety at protests, demonstrations and special events," according to the report.

Chambers said previous strategies to control costs, like vacancy management, won't work anymore.

"We were delaying recruit classes and right now we can't afford to do that. We need to get officers trained and that's part of the 24 officers that are going to be added to foot patrols, getting them trained and then up to speed, so that they can be deployed," he said.

The head of the union representing police officers says resources need to match the demand for services.

"The steady increase in calls for service over the years, as well as the violent nature of these calls, is very concerning," Cory Wiles, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, wrote in an email statement.

"When you don't approve a realistic budget, then you get these kind of overtime figures. Certainly, the effects of these demands are being felt by our members."

Council approved a budget of $333 million for the police service in 2024, a $7 million increase over last year.

John Graham, Prairies director of government relations for the Retail Council of Canada, said retailers are investing in extra security training, technology and designs for their stores to deter crime. 

"While we continue to seek a long-term and more sustainable solution to these issues, we are grateful for the response of the Manitoba government and Winnipeg Police Service for their additional attention to an issue that we feel has been long overlooked," he said.

According to a report by acting police chief Art Stannard, between June 8 and Aug. 30, police officers working on the retail theft initiative made 512 arrests, issued 165 tickets and recovered more than $26,600 in merchandise.

The report notes some positive financial gains for the police force, including photo radar revenue, which is up 24 per cent over 2023. Last year, the service said it lost out on photo enforcement revenue due to a lack of suitable construction zones where it could set up cameras — a situation which has since been rectified.

Separately, the police service is in the process of recruiting a new police chief, after Danny Smyth retired on Sept. 4. It expects interviews with prospective candidates to begin in October.

Winnipeg police overtime costs soar as demands on service increase: report

3 months ago

Duration 1:42

The latest budget update from Winnipeg Police Service shows overtime costs have soared this year, with year-to-date numbers increasing 17 per cent over last year. By the end of 2024, the service projects overtime costs will be $11.8 million, up from $7.7 million in 2023.