Major spending hike for Codiac RCMP proposed, adding 17 officers

A major increase in spending and staffing has been proposed for the Codiac Regional RCMP.

The Codiac Regional Policing Authority, the civilian board overseeing the force, unanimously voted Thursday evening to support a $59 million budget for 2025. That's a 29per cent budget increase from this year.

It includes adding17 more police officers and five civilian support staff.

The budget would need to be approved by councils in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, the communities policed by Codiac RCMP, later this year.

"We've had significant increase in population in our community," Don Moore, chair of the policing authority board, toldInformation Morning Monctonon Friday."That alonewe haven't kept up with the policing needs."

The Moncton metro region had one of Canada's fastest growing populations, Statistics Canada reported earlier this year.

The policing authority is funded by the three municipalities with a formula accounting for population and calls to police. Moncton's share in 2025 would be 70.8per cent,with Dieppe at18.5and Riverview at10.7.

Moncton Mayor Dawn Arnold said city council has yet to review all of the details.

"I fully acknowledge that we have a growing community, but it does seem enormous at first blush,"Arnold said of her initial reaction to the budget increase.

Dieppe Mayor Yvon Lapierreand Riverview Mayor Andrew LeBlancdid not provide interviews.

The budget proposal, if approved, would be the largest single-year increasein police staffing.

It would increase th budgeted number of regular officers from 156 this year to 173.

Moore said the board is also recommending more increases in future years. Fifteen officers are proposed to be added in 2026, followed by 14 more in 2027 to bring the force to 202 members.

Information Morning - Moncton11:26Codiac Regional Policing Authority asking for a significant budget increase for 2025

Don Moore is the chair of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority.

The numbers followed a police workload review by PwC, formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers, an auditing and consulting firm.

Mooredeclined to share the full report with CBC, citing "a significant security aspect."

Arnold wants to see the report.

"I believe in data, and that's why we want the full workload analysis to see what we're dealing with here," Arnold said.

Moore said the increase should help address concerns residents have voiced about the visibility of police.

"With 46 additional police officers over the next three years, I would tend to think that that would increase that visibility that would help people understand that they have a role in our community, that we can be more safe and secure," Moore said.

Traffic unit proposed in 2026

Ten of the officers proposed for 2026 would be to re-establish a traffic unit, something someMoncton councillors requested.

Overall, the budget forecasts spending $13,436,019 more than this year when accounting for a previous deficit.

The new police and civilian staff account for $2.7 million of that,while salary increases for unionized Mounties account for $1 million.

The largest portion, at $3 million, is tied to the lease of the new police station on Albert Street, set to open next year.Under a 2019 agreement, Dieppe and Riverview will pay rent to help cover Moncton'scost to construct the$57-million building.

The next largest share, at $2.3million, is for RCMP division administration, which covers various costs provided through the J Division headquarters in Fredericton.

The budget includes just over half a million dollars for body cameras for Codiac RCMP. The cameras are expected to be deployed nationally by the end of 2025.

There is$125,000 earmarked for an executive director position, a full-time staff role recommendedin a police service review last year.

Money to begin paying policing authority board members, another recommendation of the review, is also in this budget. Members of the three municipal councilsappointed to the board would not be paid.