Sudbury police still grappling with 'non-police work'
The Greater Sudbury Police Service continues to defend its staffing numbers after a recent study by the Fraser Institute said Sudbury has one of the most understaffed police forces in the country.
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The matter was brought up at a police board meeting on Wednesday, where Chief Paul Pedersen said the police service is serving the public adequately.
Pederson told CBC News that Sudbury residents "expect more from us than just dealing with crimes."
He noted many calls to the service are in relation to Highway Traffic Act, such as speeding and aggressive driving. These fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Offences Act.
“You know, to put it bluntly, I can't imagine us turning to our community and saying we're not going to deal with speeding and red light tickets and stuff like that. Those aren't crimes. They're offences against the Highway Traffic Act, but they aren't captured in a study of crime rates,” he said.
The study only included violations of the Criminal Code of Canada.
Pederson noted it was an "academic study that opens up a conversation" with the community about what it values and what it will cost.
When the Fraser Institue report was released, author and Lakehead University economist Livio Di Matteo said he hoped the study starts a conversation about policing costs in Canadian cities. Di Matteo said he didn't think the report was "an automatic licence to go out and hire."
In a previous CBC News report, police association president Randy Buchowski said he'd like to see non-police work, such as dealing with mental health cases, taken from officers plates.
Operation Red Nose expanding
Meanwhile, in the wake of recent drunk driving incidents, Sudbury police are looking to expand prevention efforts. The service is considering extending RIDE and Operation Red Nose programs to long weekends, and possibly prom season.
Chief Paul Pedersen told the police services board he welcomes the idea.
“Taking this to long weekends, taking these to other points in time when you can expect that there's a possibility that there may be more drinking and driving than other times of the year,” he said.
“What better way to promote good behaviour than through volunteerism of Operation Red Nose?”
Operation red Nose is a free, confidential service.
Volunteers drive people who have been drinking home, but also make sure that person's car gets home, too.
The service is currently only operating during the holiday season.