Pubdate: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 The Vancouver Sun Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/477 Author: Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun CRIME: WHAT'S FAIR A FAIR SHARE A Metropolitan Police Force Would Make for a More Cost-Efficient And Effective System, Its Advocates Argue, but Municipal Politicians Are Determined to Hold on to Local Control If you want an example of the uneven nature of policing in the Lower Mainland, consider this: Let's say you're a resident of Vancouver and woke up this morning to find your car broken into and your stereo, CDs and camera snatched. The Vancouver police, stretched to the limit with violent crimes and drug dealing on the Downtown Eastside, wouldn't send an officer out to investigate unless the value of your stolen property was more than $10,000. "Under $10,000, we'll take [a report] over the phone -- unless there's some extenuating circumstances," said VPD spokesman Const. Tim Fanning. Now let's say you live in West Vancouver and woke up to find your car, not broken into, but merely "keyed" -- a long scratch in the paint along the driver's side door. You call police to report the minor act of vandalism -- and they assure you that a patrol car is on its way. "We'll send an officer up to look at the damage and follow-up to see if there is anything that links it to a suspect," said Sgt. Paul Skelton of the West Vancouver police. Indeed, there aren't many crimes that West Vancouver police won't send an officer to. "Our motto in West Vancouver in 'no call too small,' " said Skelton. Minor shoplifting incidents -- which many police forces leave to store security to investigate -- merit a visit from a patrol car in West Vancouver. So do "gas-no-pay" cases, where someone fills their tank and drives off without paying. "A file that might seem minor in nature, that may not be a priority in other areas, officers here can follow-up," said Skelton. Indeed, sometimes there is so little crime to investigate in West Vancouver that police actually have to go out looking for some. Skelton said officers will often drive around the district, typing licence plate numbers into their computers, just looking for stolen cars. "As opposed to just responding to calls for service, we're actually out there patrolling the back alleys and walking the beaches looking for stuff," said Skelton. They certainly have the time. According to the most recent statistics produced by the B.C. government, West Vancouver has the most underworked police force in the Lower Mainland. The average "case burden" in West Vancouver -- the number of crimes per officer, per year -- is just 44. That's about half the workload of the region's most overworked municipal force, New Westminster, at 87. One might assume that's because the rich residents of West Vancouver are willing to shell out more for their police service. But, in fact, the two most overworked municipal police forces in the region -- Vancouver and New Westminster -- are also the most expensive. The average Vancouver resident spends $282 per year for policing, while New Westminster residents spend $245. West Vancouverites, by comparison, spend just $198. The real reason for the workload gap is that "core" cities like Vancouver and New Westminster, with their inner-city drug problems, have a lot more crime than bedroom communities like West Vancouver. New Westminster, in particular, faces unique challenges. On paper, it is a small city to police -- with just 60,000 residents and 16 square kilometres. But it sits at the crossroads of the region, with hundreds of thousands of commuters travelling through every day and many from outside municipalities coming in to work and play. The city also suffers the fallout from policing in neighbouring jurisdictions, said Deputy Chief Mike Judd. "If Vancouver or Surrey ... do a major crackdown in their area, it tends to displace some of that activity into our area," he said. "It's tough when you're a [crime] analyst in New Westminster, because you have to be checking what's going on in neighbouring jurisdictions." Despite the high workload, he said, his force still prides itself on responding in person to every call. But he concedes that, after that initial response, some files don't get as much attention as he'd like. "Certainly, your case burden will dictate, to a certain extent, how much you can dig in on a file," said Judd. In comparison, Skelton said police in West Vancouver often have the luxury of following up on investigative leads for even minor files. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, West Vancouver's record for solving cases is a lot better. According to Statistics Canada, the "clearance rate" for property crimes in West Vancouver -- the percentage of cases closed -- is 17.8 per cent. In New Westminster, it's 10.5 per cent. However, there are some drawbacks to West Vancouver's calmer pace. "There's not as much excitement for the younger police officers, maybe not as many long-term career options," said Skelton. "We've lost quite a few [officers] over the last few years." The case burdens at RCMP detachments cannot be easily compared to municipal forces because detachments receive significant administrative support from "E" Division, the RCMP's provincial policing arm. But among RCMP detachments, there are still wide gaps. The case burden in Langley City, the busiest RCMP detachment in the region, is 127. That's more than twice the workload in the least busy detachment, North Vancouver District, at 62. North Vancouver RCMP Const. John MacAdam said the lower workload in his detachment makes a difference. "It allows the investigators to look further into all their investigations and not have to disregard some of the smaller things," he said. The Lower Mainland's policing situation is unusual. Most major cities in Canada, including Toronto and Montreal, have metropolitan police forces. Some argue Greater Vancouver should have a regional force, too. Rob Gordon, director of the school of criminology at Simon Fraser University and an expert on policing said our current system "makes no sense at all and it's costing us all a great deal." A metro force, Gordon argued, would not only be more equitable -- ensuring citizens of New Westminster receive as quick a police response as those on the north shore -- but would also improve policing for everyone by reducing bureaucracy and jurisdictional squabbling on things like serial-killer investigations. But Gordon, who has been advocating a metro force for more than two decades, said he's not optimistic -- because most municipalities like having their own police force, even if it's an overworked one. The incentive to keep your own force is obvious for a place like West Vancouver. A region-wide police force would almost certainly reallocate officers to more crime-ridden areas, reducing the level of service in the suburbs. West Vancouver mayor Ron Wood, for example, is on record as saying he wants nothing to do with a metro force. But he's not the only one leery of the idea. Two years ago, then-solicitor-general Rich Coleman floated a proposal to create a new integrated police service out of the 16 RCMP detachments in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley. The idea was so unpopular that the mayors of two cities with RCMP detachments -- Surrey and Burnaby -- openly considered establishing their own municipal forces to avoid it. Since then, the RCMP has proceeded far more cautiously on integration, setting up special units to deal with things like homicides and auto crime, but leaving local patrol units intact. "There's an inability to move forward out of fear of incurring the wrath of the electorate," said Gordon. "There needs to be political will to actually do it and that political will needs to be emanating from Victoria." In 1994, then-B.C. Supreme Court Justice Wally Oppal recommended a metro force for Vancouver in his royal commission on policing. Oppal is now the province's attorney-general, but policing is the responsibility of his colleague, Solicitor-General John Les. And in an interview, Les said he has no intention of creating a metro force as long as RCMP integration initiatives continue. "I am loath to wander into the amalgamation issue," he said. Judd knows full well the obstacles that stand in the way of a metro force. New Westminster's police force was established in 1873, three months before the North West Mounted Police, the force that would become the RCMP, and has been patrolling the city ever since. "New West [police] has a long, proud history," said Judd. "I know the concern from most politicians ... They don't necessarily want to relinquish that into some big entity." But Judd -- stressing that he speaks for himself, not the force -- said he finds the arguments for metro policing compelling. "My gut feeling is I think it's where we're going," he said. "And I'm actually a little surprised that the Lower Mainland hasn't gone to that kind of model." [sidebars] POLICING AT WHAT PRICE?: Which forces work hardest, the cost of enforcement POLICE CASE BURDENS, 2003 The number of criminal code offences per officer, excluding traffic offences. Municipal Police Departments New Westminster 87 Vancouver 65 Port Moody 53 Delta 51 West Vancouver 44 RCMP Detachments Case burdens in RCMP detachments are not directly comparable to those in municipal police departments because detachments receive significant administrative and operational support from "E" Division, the provincial RCMP unit. Langley City 127 Maple Ridge 125 Port Coquitlam 123 Coquitlam 118 Surrey 117 Burnaby 105 Langley Township 101 North Vancouver City 85 White Rock 84 Pitt Meadows 82 Richmond 77 North Vancouver District 62 Source: B.C. Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor-General POLICE SPENDING PER CAPITA, 2003 The amount each municipality spends per person on policing. Municipal police departments Vancouver $282 New Westminster $245 West Vancouver $198 Delta $182 Port Moody $163 RCMP detachments The federal government picks up 10 per cent of the tab for RCMP detachments in large cities, meaning municipalities policed by the RCMP do not need to cover as much of the cost of policing as those with their own municipal departments. Langley City $226 North Vancouver City $169 White Rock $161 Langley Township $153 Richmond $144 Burnaby $140 North Vancouver District $130 Surrey $130 Maple Ridge $127 Port Coquitlam $116 Coquitlam $115 Pitt Meadows $112 Source - Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor-General, Vancouver Sun - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake