Mayor fights police cuts
Posted Jun 23, 2010 7:21 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mayor Dave Bronconnier says the city needs more, not fewer police officers.
Bronconnier says he’s not happy to hear that in an effort to trim its budget, police have decided to cancel two fall recruitment classes, affecting about 120 positions on the force.
He says he will introduce a motion next month, asking council to honour its funding commitment to the Calgary Police Service.
Bronconnier says it’s bizarre that after scrambling to beef up the police budget just a few years ago, the city is now looking at reducing it.
In an effort to ease the 2011 budget crunch all city departments have been asked to lower their expectations and find savings of about 5 per cent.
The president of the Calgary Police Association, John Dooks believes public safety will suffer if elected officials go ahead and roll back the police budget.
Close to $300 million has been allocated in the 2011 budget for police.
As things stand, without cuts next year’s budget calls for a 6.7 per cent tax hike and a funding shortfall of more than $13 million.
