A new report by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy says Canadian statistics show the number of officers is not the key factor in determining the crime rate.
The report indicates police in Winnipeg are actually dispatched to fewer calls than many Canadian cities with fewer officers.
“Ottawa’s an example that has a fairly low crime rate and a low amount of officers,” said Steve LaFleur from the Frontier Centre, “There are all sorts of factors.”
But police in Winnipeg say although they may get dispatched to fewer calls, they deal with more violent crimes.
“Violent crimes tend to require significantly more resources, attention and time,” said Mike Sutherland of the Winnipeg Police Association.
The Frontier Centre report suggests police services should be utilizing resources differently to reduce crime.
One suggestion from the report is having more officers work alone in police cruisers.
In Winnipeg, policy dictates that all cruisers be staffed by at least two officers between the hours of 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
“That just makes sense from a police safety perspective as well as a resources perspective,” said Sutherland.
Some crime victims are not convinced by the Frontier Centre report. Steven Stevenson was mugged in Winnipeg and thinks more police in the area might have prevented the crime.
“If there was I don’t think they would have done anything,” said Stevenson, “I don’t think they would have mugged me.”
He says he has seen more foot patrols lately and thinks that may be helping to prevent crime.
