- The Belleville Police Service’s 2026 budget will remain unchanged after being sent back for reconsideration by
city council last month.
Calling it a “needs not wants” budget the Police Service Board has left it at $33,524,718.00, a 15 per cent increase over last year’s.
The board held a special meeting Monday morning.
Chief of Police Murray Rodd will again present the budget to council in the near future.
Board member Jim O’Brien said the relatively new Community Safety Policing Act contained pages of
details regarding the standards required of officers and the equipment they must have.
It is the Chief of Police’s responsibility that the standards are met–they are not optional.
O’Brien said police boards, services, Chiefs and officers can be sued if the courts find standards aren’t met.
Chair of the Board Heather Smith said she believed it was high time to “right-size the organization.”
“We are trying to meet increasing service demands and must meet the standards of the Community Safety
Policing Act. Not only must we comply with terms of policy, personnel and equipment, we were clearly
told in our several community engagement sessions that the public expected visibility, engagement,
response, safe streets, and a safe downtown.”
Smith said officers’ investigations are growing increasingly complex and time-consuming. She gave as
examples sexual assault, mental health, and domestic calls.
The budget includes the hiring of several officers, most replacing retiring personnel, along with a handful
of civilian staff.
Board member and city councillor Barb Enright-Miller said if the budget was reduced “we wouldn’t comply
with mandated requirements. This is a true and transparent document. We can no longer defer or hide
the real costs of policing as our officers deal with more and more calls in this fast-growing community.”
Chief Murray Rodd said policing and community safety is an “investment, not a cost.”
He pointed to the amount of time it takes to investigate the increasing number of complex crimes in a manner
leading to successful prosecutions in court. “Some investigations can take months or years to come to a conclusion.
It’s really the police on trial in court not the accused. We have to try to get it right each and every time.”
The chief said, “Our responsibilities are not our choice, we must meet the standards and invest in people, training,
technology, and equipment.”
Mayor Neil Ellis said he didn’t like the 15 per cent increase but added, “We have a duty of care and we have to
provide safe policing.”
Chair of the Belleville Police Service Board Heather Smith. (Photo: Quinte News)
