The Vancouver Sun asked in May whether Vancouver Police Department salaries may be excessive due to large amounts of overtime.  347 VPD employees earned $100,000 or more. Mayor Gregor Robertson was unperturbed by the costs, citing gang violence as a reason for the overtime.

It would be more cost-effective to hire officers than rely on overtime.  More than 20% of the VPD is paid $100,000 or more.  There are 1329 officers with the VPD.

One might question whether the overtime is necessary at all.  As the VPD ranks and budget increase, Statistics Canada revealed in 2008 that the crime rate in Canada is the lowest in 30 years, down 7% in 2007.  In the same year, VPD statistics revealed a 8.2% decrease in the crime rate.   Constable Tim Fanning stated that the Vancouver crime rate was similar to that of Miami, a patently absurd assertion.  In 2006, there were 19.6 murders per 100,000 in Miami.  In 2007, the equivalent figure in Vancouver is 2.41.

More than one quarter of the City’s budget is spent on the VPD.  Is Vancouver getting value for that money?

Tags: VPD

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