Vancouver police over budget by $10 million: report

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is expecting to be over budget by millions of dollars, according to a report presented to the city's police board. 

The report, which covered the first six months of 2024, found that VPD was 5.2 per cent over budget for that period, or just over $10 million.

The department is projected to finish the year 1.6 per cent over its total budget of around $443 million.

The report says the rise in spending is largely attributable to officers working overtime — due to protests related to the Israel-Hamas war, officers assisting in a city-led removal of a tent encampment from Hastings Street, as well as backfilling vacancies "due to various leaves."

"Although the 100 new officers are hired, there [are] always vacancies due to natural attrition," the report reads, referring to a commitment from the city to hire 100 new police officers.  

In a statement issued Wednesday, VPD Sgt. Steve Addison also mentioned the Stanley Cup playoffs and a Vancouver Park Board pilot allowing alcohol at select beaches as factors in extra policing costs. 

"The people we serve are concerned about public safety, and they deserve the highest level of service," Addison said. 

"We're not going to scrimp on public safety, and the many public safety challenges we face in Vancouver do, unfortunately, have an impact on our operating costs."

Coun. Pete Fry said such operating costs are not sustainable. 

"The blank cheque from the City of Vancouver can't continue on that kind of level," Fry said Wednesday.

"We do need to have some kind of fiscal accountability when it comes to these kind of public safety expenditures."

He notes that Mayor Ken Sim, who sits on the Vancouver Police Board, moved an amendment at a May council meeting to request that next year's draft operating budget target a property tax increase less than 5.5 per cent.

"The reality is that these overages with the police department are going to amount to at least a single per cent ... so now we're down to 4.5 per cent to cover all the additional overages that we have in terms of inflationary pressures," he said.

In a statement, Sim said he could not comment on budget projections as the city is still early in its budgeting process.

"However, it's lining up to be another record year of protests as the world has never been more politically active as it is now," Sim said. 

"We look forward to having a more thorough discussion as budget time approaches in December and the budget numbers are more firm."