Because of the pandemic -related absence, Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said the Service has had difficulty handling murder investigations that have occurred since the beginning of the year.
In 2022, 23 homicides were recorded by the Manitoba Capital Police Service. Human resources are scarce and the proliferation of overtime is exhausting police, Danny Smyth acknowledged at a Winnipeg police council meeting on Friday.
In particular, 500 people were forced to take time off work because of COVID-19, he said. In return, police overtime increased 29% in the first quarter of this year compared to last year, a report said.
In addition, in the first three months of 2022, police handled at least 53 special events, such as demonstrations and rallies. In comparison, only 72 events over the course of the past year were recorded in downtown Winnipeg.
According to the police chief, the murder investigations have had a domino effect on the resources of the Service.
” Not just homicide units were called. This is the forensic unit. These are our front line units that are often ahead of there. This affects the ability to answer calls and creates a queue. “
To make matters worse, the latest public crime data for February shows that violent crime rose 21% from the same month last year.
Danny Smyth specified that he was not happy with this trend. Although the city is seeing an increase in violent crime right now, Winnipeg is a safe city, the police chief said.
The union president is more critical
Winnipeg Police Association president Moe Sabourin said officers were so tired they refused to work overtime.
The Service said it called officers on their holidays 433 times in the first three months of 2022, the union president pointed out. The five-year average before COVID-19 was 222 calls.
For Moe Sabourin, the police go from one emergency call to another. There is no proactive policing. This is a strict answer … I want the Service to accurately report all incidents that occur because it is scary. I won’t let my kids go downtownhe says.
” If I am the general manager of a successful sports team and the team is not performing well, you will most likely change coaches. “
This increase in overtime also affects Winnipeg’s budget because the Police Service accounts for nearly one-third of the City’s total costs.
The chairman of the police board said the organization could not comment on overtime so far.
This is not a service that can stop when the budget allocated to it is exhaustedunderline Saint-Norbert-Seine River councilor, Markus Chambers.
We need to work within this budget and make sure we provide adequate and efficient service 365 days a year.He added.
Markus Chambers knows that the perception of being a dangerous city is hurting Winnipeg, which is trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
We need to work together and work together to ensure that we can begin to reduce these numbers and trends, without the impact on overtime we currently see.did he declare.
With information from Sam Samson
Source: Radio-Canada
