The Regional Municipality of York Police Services Board is the civilian police oversight body that governs how policing is delivered in Newmarket and throughout York Region.
The seven appointed members of the civilian board approve the operating and capital police budget, monitor the performance of the chief of police, establish police force management policies and priorities in consultation with the chief, appoint members of the force, and more.
Police board meetings are open to the public and are held at the York Region Administrative Centre, 17250 Yonge St., in Committee Room A.
The next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 9 a.m. You can read the full agenda here. Accessible formats or communication supports are available upon request.
Here’s a preview of some of the items coming up next week at the police services board meeting:
2019 police budget and priorities: York Regional Police will present its case for the funds needed to deliver policing services and programs to the region’s more than 1.1 million residents.
New this year will likely be an estimated $6.5 million in additional funding to enforce the Cannabis Act. Cost drivers include training officers to perform standardized field-sobriety testing and training for drug recognition experts, as well as the purchase and maintenance of testing devices to prove an offence. In addition, York police could see an increased demand for services for mental health, vehicle collisions, break-and-enters and robberies.
Last year 's budget was $357.5 million, which represents a 4.1 per cent increase over 2017. It takes a 30 per cent chunk of the Regional Municipality of York’s total operating budget.
Public complaints: Public complaints against York police increased 12 per cent during the first six months of 2018, as compared to the same period in 2017. The force’s semi-annual report to the board on public complaints shows that 86 complaints were received against 127 members of the force, compared to 77 complaints against 107 members for the same period in 2017.
Sixteen of the 86 complaints remained under investigation as of June 30, 2018, compared to 19 of 77 complaints still under investigation at the same period in 2017.
Of the 86 public complaints received, nearly half were rejected on the grounds they were deemed not in the public interest, frivolous, or better dealt with elsewhere. Six complaints were unsubstantiated, 15 complaints were withdrawn by the complainant and two complaints were resolved informally.
York Regional Police 2018 Business Survey: Every three years, York police administers a survey of business owners to gauge their overall satisfaction with the quality of policing services. The response rate was 16.5 per cent, up from 13.9 per cent in 2015.
York police will present its key findings, including that the top three crime concerns among business owners remain unchanged since the last report: break-ins, property damage/graffiti, and fraud/cyber fraud.
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