Police fire back at 'disrespectful' Winnipeg councillor

Winnipeg's deputy police chiefArt Stannard re-loaded and fired more shots at a city councillor he claims doesn't know the role of the police service.

Stannard on Friday told the city's police boardhe didn't want to get into a mud-slinging battle with Coun. Marty Morantz, but then launched into one.

Heaccused Morantz of being'disrespectful' and of causing 'fear' by suggesting the police service might be bloated with too many officers.

"I don't want you to compromise service but it looks like there are alot of officers hanging around right now," Morantz said at Thursday's meeting. That was the line that perhaps more than any other frustrated Stannard.

"We don't have officers standing around doing nothing", hesaid on Friday, adding the Winnipeg Police Service is not out of control with its spending."It'sclearly obvious some people don't know the role of police."

• Meeting heats up as Morantz and deputy police chief fire questions at each other

Stannardand Morantz, chair of the city's finance committee, went head-to-head Thursday during a tense meeting between city and police executives.

Morantz wanted specific budget information from the police, saying the WPSmakes up the largest portion of the city's overall spending.

Stannard told Morantzon Thursday the WPSanswers to therecently-formed police board, not the city's finance committee or at least not in a public meeting.

"Yesterday was not a very good day for the police," Stannardtold Friday's police board meeting, adding that after Morantz'sgrilling the day before, members of public and police service approached him with concerns that changes could be coming to staffing levels.

"This is not the time to lay off police officers," he stressed to the police board.

Instead, the police service hasreduced an upcoming recruitment class by 25positions, Stannard noted.

It appears most of the members of the police board agreed with Stannard and supported him at the meeting, reported CBC's Sean Kavanagh.