Hello Ward 8 Neighbours,
Police are one of the core services funded by municipal taxes. In recent years there have been strong opinions about the role of community policing and funding for the police budget.
To find out what you think, Ward 8 Councillor John-Paul Danko is inviting Ward 8 residents to participate in a virtual public meeting at 7:00pm on Wednesday February 9th, 2020 – please click here to register.
Ward 8 Community Safety
Over the past year, property crime in Ward 8 has been relatively low. Theft from auto was the top reported property crime in 2021, followed by theft and theft of auto.
In 2021, the Ward 8 office worked closely with Mountain Crime Manager Officer Curtis Patton on several Ward 8 specific crime issues including unruly afterhours behaviour in some community parks, prostitution, traffic enforcement and youth violence in specific Ward 8 neighbourhoods.
While violent crime in Ward 8 declined in 2021, violent crime city wide is increasing following several very concerning shootings and alleged gang murders on the Hamilton mountain in 2019 and 2020.
Dec 2019: Police ID victim in “targeted” West Mountain Shooting
July 2020: Discussion between two groups turned into fatal brawl: Hamilton Police
Oct 2020: Hamilton Police investigating shooting incidents on the Mountain
Sept 2020: Hamilton Police investigating shots fired in the Garth and Limeridge area
April 2021: Project Rolston Round-Up in conjunction with Project Strong, leads to multiple arrests, seizures
Of particular concern in 2021 was the highest ever number of homicides (19) many involving youth violence and a major proliferation of guns on Hamilton streets, including in Ward 8.
Violent crime in Hamilton ranks worse than the median for Canadian municipalities and worse than several other major Canadian cities such as Montreal, Toronto and Calgary.
2022 Hamilton Police Budget Request
As part of the 2022 City of Hamilton operating budget, Hamilton Police Services are requesting a 3.94% increase.
Hamilton Police report that the vast majority of the requested increase in funding (89.9%) will be used for salary, wages and benefits.
Despite Hamilton’s ranking above the national median violent crime severity index, Hamilton is currently served by 58 fewer officers than the national median. Municipalities that rank higher on the violent crime severity index typically have a corresponding higher number of police officers per one hundred thousand residents (Windsor, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Regina, Sudbury etc.).
Hamilton Police are also fairly efficient in the operation of the force, ranking 10.7% below the national median for cost of police service per capita. Again, municipalities that have higher instances of violent crime typically invest more into policing (Windsor, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Winnipeg, Regina).
Finally, Hamilton Police Service’s 3.94% 2021 operating budget increase is relatively consistent with comparator municipalities across Ontario.
Community Meeting
We know community safety is a paramount concern for Ward 8 residents and we are very interested in hearing your thoughts about policing in Ward 8, issues in your community and your thoughts about the 2022 Hamilton Police Services budget request.
Please join Councillor Danko for a virtual public meeting at 7:00pm on Wednesday February 9th, 2020 – click here to register.
Questions or concerns?
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact our office here.