Hamilton Police seeking 5% budget boost

The Hamilton Police Service’s budget for 2011 is around $6 million higher than last year’s.

The operating budget this year is projected to be $130 million — a nearly 5 % jump from 2010.

Chief Glenn de Caire says Hamilton police are adapting their service to match community growth — and the primary reason for budget increases are higher staffing costs. “We are working hard internally, we are maximizing the productivity of our people and I would best describe this organization as a lean organization.”

“The budget will help us focus on our strategic levels of enforcement, that level of public safety, our community-based safety initiatives and the efficient use of our frontline resources.”

Hamilton Police answer 80,000 calls for service every year — and about 500 911 emergency calls every day.