Police should subcontract some work to reduce costs: report

By

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Security guards are not exactly the most-feared members of the enforcement world, but as cities across the country deal with skyrocketing policing costs, a new report recommends subcontracting some of the work to private security agencies.

Despite a reduction in the crime rate, the Montreal Economic Institute says policing costs have doubled in Canada over the past 25 years and the solution to rein in spending is to re-focus officers on their core duties — anything involving an understanding of the law, requiring psychological skill, or physical strength.

“These are essential tasks that police officers should always be doing,” says Jasmin Guénette with the policy group and co-author of the report. “Non-essential tasks could be done by private security agents — filling out reports, looking at photo radar, and so on.”

Guénette says that would make policing much more efficient and the lower wages paid to private security would be more cost-effective, without compromising public security.

“According to some reports, 40 per cent of the time spent by police officers on the job is to do administrative tasks. So almost half of their day is spent filling out paper reports, attending meetings, and so on. What we are saying is that police officers should do the job they have been trained to do and where they are very, very skilled,” he tells News1130.

Using the example of an impaired roadblock operation, which would normally require eight police officers, Guénette says if auxiliary duties were subcontracted to the private sector and six of the eight participants were security agents, the cost would be reduced from by more than 50 per cent in most cases.

In the longer term, he argues the gross savings could be transformed into net savings for taxpayers by limiting the need for new hires.

The report contends freeing up police officers to focus on core duties could even reduce crime in certain situations.

“These new approaches to the provision of security based on a better division of duties have proven their value, both internationally and within Canada. And the subcontracting of certain tasks to the private sector does not just reduce costs for taxpayers. A closer collaboration between police officers and security agents would also increase police productivity, and potentially lead to a reduction in the crime rate. Canadian municipalities have a responsibility to adopt such pragmatic solutions in order to manage taxpayer funds as efficiently as possible,” says Guénette.

He adds the public is demanding police services be more efficient, while they serve and protect.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today