Dryden council to determine 'value' from local police and OPP

City councillors in Dryden, Ont., will have to determine the 'value' the OPP or Dryden Police Service would provide the community, Mayor Greg Wilson says.

City council publicly received a report on Monday night from accounting firm MNP, which was hired by the city to determine the overall costs and benefits of either police force.

The city is looking at potentially switching its police force from the municipal service to the OPP.

"When you look at the two different models, they use different drivers to determine the number of officers that are required," said Wilson, noting the OPP model has more officers working in Dryden. However, the Dryden detachment also covers surrounding communities, with no guarantee constables would always be within city limits.

"The other thing is get a handle on the statistics about what's really been happening in our community, in terms of community safety." 

The MNP report noted that the crime rate in Dryden is increasing, along with severe crimes. 

Wilson said that figure is concerning to most councillors, noting that each individual has a different perception of crime based on their neighbourhood and interaction with people in the city.

"We have our routines, our neighbourhoods, our routines in a day. So, one person might say, 'boy, crime's really gone up' or another might phone the mayor or get in touch with one of the councillors and say 'things are pretty good.'"

"You take all these personal situations, you take them one at a time, and you try and get a picture based on those conversations you're having with people, you're trying to understand is this the tip of the iceberg, or is it representative of what's happening in our community."

The report from MNP noted the Dryden Police Service responded to about 8,300 calls for service in 2019. Data from 2020 was excluded from the study, citing concerns with COVID-19 skewing figures.

"The cost is very important for us, but it's not cost alone. It never has been. It's what is the value that we're getting for the cost. What is the premium that we're paying, if there is one, and is it worth it for one police force or the other," said Wilson.

The report also noted severance costs, which would be born by the city, would be about $2 million. The city would also have to buy-out is dispatching contract with Owen Sound, at a cost of $100,000.

It also noted that Dryden pays a higher amount for policing on a per-property basis than Kenora and Fort Frances.

This is the second time councillors in Dryden have receiving a costing proposal from the OPP in three years. The previous proposal was rejected after concerns of upfront capital costs, which would be covered by the municipality. Previously, those costs were about $5 million, now it's about $6.4 million.

"It can become an emotional subject if you don't stick to the facts, to the data. You can let emotions rule your decision making," Wilson said. During the previous process, public consultation showed many people in the community were in favour of keeping the municipal force.

Wilson said the passion noted in the previous debate is not as prevalent this time around.

"We can't meet in large groups, so you don't get that personal, tensile feel for what people are thinking, and so on. What I noticed, was the last time around, the majority of the people who showed up to the public meetings were against switching."

The Dryden Police Service will make a presentation to council on June 14, with a public meeting slated for June 24.

Dryden city council has until November 2021 to make a decision on if it will switch to the OPP.