Duncan taxpayers are shouldering an “unfair burden” of policing costs.
That from Duncan Council who are advocating the province change how crime stats are counted towards municipalities.
According to a report by city staff, Fail to Appear charges that happen at the provincial courthouse in Duncan count towards the city’s crime statistics even if the original offence occurred elsewhere. These criminal code cases make up over 20% of all cases in Duncan, which has a large impact on how many officers the city is expected to pay for.
They say this results in an inflated number of criminal code cases in Duncan and impacts policing costs for the city.
“I think it’s only fair for the community to be paying for the actual officers that are required not to be paying for these statistics,” said Councilor Tom Duncan. “I really feel that this something that has to be brought to the attention of other communities that have a courthouse.”
Duncan Council will present this information at the April Association of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities general meeting.
