The New Westminster police board has approved a 2025 budget for the police department that represents a 9.76 per cent increase over this year’s budget.
At its Nov. 19 meeting, the New West police board unanimously approved the NWPD’s 2025 provisional operating budget, which reflects a proposed increase of 9.76 per cent over the 2024 operating budget. Provincial legislation requires municipal police boards to approve their department’s budgets by Nov. 30, although changes can be made until March 1.
Acting Chief Const. Paul Hyland thanked staff and board members for their work on the budget. He noted the budget process began in April.
“There have been a number of different iterations with the operating budget. I think at one point we were looking at a potential 13-plus per cent,” he said. “A lot of work has gone into that to bring that down. We are sitting at 9.76 per cent.”
Jacqueline Dairon, the NWPD’s manager of financial services, said the provisional budget is the same as what was presented to the board in October.
According to a staff report, non-discretionary items in the budget represent a 6.5 per cent increase over the police department’s 2024 budget. This includes collective agreements, recruit training, E-Comm services, contractual increases with third-party service providers (including jail guards and transcription services), a forensic identification course, and integrated teams – such as the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, Police Service Dogs, Emergency Response Team, and the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service.
Discretionary operational enhancements totalling $1 million represent 3.2 per cent of the increase over the 2024 budget. This includes funding for the Gang Suppression Unit, cyber security, professional development, and community engagement (Indigenous awareness).
The biggest chunk of discretionary funding relates to backfilling of police officer positions to fill temporary vacant positions due to various leaves.
According tot the report, $650,000 has been requested to sustain the NWPD’s backfill strategy, which began in 2023. It represents a 2.05 per cent budget increase in 2025.
Hyland alerted the board to a change that has occurred since the board’s last meeting with city council on the budget. He said council approved a motion in October asking city staff to bring back at least one option for a 4.5 per cent citywide tax increase.
“We received some information back from city finance that if a 4.5 per cent tax increase was approved it would potentially require a $560,000 reduction in the police department’s proposed 2025 budget,” he told the board.
Hyland said the police board is independent from city council and has the authority to put forward the budget it thinks is required for adequate policing.
“There has been no official ask at this point from the city or city finance,” he said. “Our recommendation is for the board to proceed with the budget as indicated. If there is a change to that, that would come via a request from council and then the board would have deliberations on what it wanted to do.”
Coun. Tasha Henderson, who is chair of the police board, thanked NWPD staff for doing “such diligent” work to prepare the 2025 budget.
“I know we had really robust conversations about this which I think was great,” she said. “These aren’t easy discussions to have.”
Henderson suggested a 4.5 per cent citywide budget scenario could impact the New Westminster Police Department’s backfill strategy.
“It will be interesting to see – keeping my police board hat firmly on my head right now –where that council lands and what the implications will be,” she said. “That is a significant reduction to discretionary funding. I think that it will be important to communicate to the public that that would essentially eliminate the three sworn members for our backfill strategy. But I will leave it to council to have those conversations.”
