Councils want proof that newest Mounties are reducing crime before more are added
Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview councils approve motions calling for data before they OK major staffing increase
Three councils in areas policed by the Codiac Regional RCMP don't want to approve more Mounties unless data shows the latest to be hired have made a difference in local crime.
Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview councils have all passed similar motions over the past month calling for a "comprehensive data analysis" to evaluate the impact of adding 17 more Mounties this year.
"The municipalities want to be accountable to the taxpayers to show that these investments are having the desired results we want to see in our communities," a report by Riverview town staff about the motion states.
The votes would affect a plan presented last fall that proposed adding 15 more officers in 2026 and 14 more in 2027. The plan would have increased the budgeted number of officers to 202, up from 156 in 2024.
But the motion would delay the hiring. The Riverview council report says the RCMP will have the 2026 calendar year to assess the effect of the 17 new officers before approving adding more as outlined in the plan.
Don Moore, the policing authority board chair, said the effect would turn a three-year plan for staffing increases into a five-year plan. The civilian board oversees Codiac RCMP, drafting a budget that each council is asked to approve.
Moore welcomed the motion, saying the board needs to have a good working relationship with the three municipalities.
"This includes an understanding on how do we make policing successful, and one of those ways to make policing successful is to have the appropriate measures to make sure that we're reducing crime," Moore said.
"The that's the job of the police force, but we need to make sure we have the proper justifications on increasing budget and increasing the number of members for policing in our region."
While the motions say "any request for additional staffing increases" would have to wait for the data, Moore said the policing authority may still request an increase for 2026 to keep up with population growth.
The Moncton city staff report about the motion notes the motion isn't binding.
If there's a disagreement and councils don't approve the budget proposed by the policing authority, the Police Act says the province's local government minister steps in to set the budget.
While the 17 new positions were budgeted for 2025, the RCMP has until the end of the year to actually fill the positions. That's in part why 2026 will be used to assess any change.
The policing authority is considering several of what it calls "key performance indicators" that will be used to measure the effect of the additional officers.
What those indicators measure has yet to be announced or described to municipal councils.
That was a source of frustration when the motion was debated at a Moncton committee meeting in February.
"How can we possibility evaluate based on data when we haven't decided what the start data is, and we don't have it?" Coun. Susan Edgett said during the Feb. 24 meeting.
Moore said the policing authority plans to seek input from the municipalities on potential indicators in the coming weeks.
Councils want budget sooner
The motions also call for the policing authority to outline its proposed budget earlier in the year, prior to when the municipalities start drafting their own budgets.
Moncton city staff noted in a report that the policing authority budget has climbed 65 per cent over four years, compared to a 38.5 per cent increase in the city's operating budget over that time.
In 2024, the policing authority sought a $9.3 million budget increase for 2025.
"When large budget requests are introduced late in the process, they can disrupt the workflow, hinder comprehensive review, lead to rushed decision-making, impact negatively taxpayers and make it challenging to integrate these requests into the existing financial plan," the Moncton staff report states.
Moore said in an interview that the policing authority expects to be able to prepare its budget sooner, saying the timeline will see figures presented to municipal staff by early May instead of late August or September.
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