Update: The Vancouver Police Board chaired by Mayor Gregor Robertson at its November 26 meeting approved the Vancouver Police Department's proposed 2016 operating budget of about $260 million for submission to city council.

The Vancouver police generally get the biggest departmental slice or a fifth of the city’s annual budget

For 2016, the VPD is proposing to spend close to $260 million for its operations. That’s 0.75 percent or about $2 million more than its operating budget this year.

The recommended budget is subject for approval in a meeting Thursday (November 26) by the Vancouver Police Board chaired by city mayor Gregor Robertson.

In a report to the board, deputy chief constable Steve Rai wrote that the VPD is not requesting money for any new programs.

“The only increases being submitted are for salaries and benefits, and uncontrollable items such as rent, insurance, city cost allocations, and operating costs of capital projects,” Rai reported.

The deputy chief constable also noted that although the city asked departments for productivity savings, or the equivalent of $1.4 million from the police force, the VPD will not be able to produce any.

“Any further cuts or reductions to the budget will affect service levels and performance,” Rai explained.

The police officer also cited in his report the growing demands that put a strain on the VPD’s budget.

These include “increased pressures facing frontline officers include deploying for the increased calls for services on welfare Wednesday to ensure safety for the community and the increased deployment required to ensure the successful transition of the open street vending to a new location”.

“Furthermore, with the growth in Gastown and a growing number of liquor premises, there is an increasing need for more police presence, especially on weekend nights,” Rai noted. “There was no new funding provided for this emerging priority; however, VPD must continue deploying additional resources to ensure public safety and maintain order, and this puts pressure on other areas of the budget.”

Rai also cited situations involving people with mental illness: “Increasingly, police are expected to play a pivotal role in dealing with disturbed persons and persons with mental disorders.”

During the 2014 municipal election campaign, council candidate Tim Louis of the Coalition of Progressive Electors said that his party will “red circle” or freeze the VPD budget.

According to Louis, it doesn’t make sense to keep on increasing the police budget as crime rates are falling in the city.

“If we red-circle their budget as a percentage of the city’s overall budget, it will shrink year over year,” Louis said at the time, noting that this will not lead to officers getting laid off.

Responding to Louis in 2014, Vision Vancouver councillor Raymond Louie defended the increases in the police budget that his party oversaw in previous years.

“Our citizens need to be kept safe,” Louie said. “There’s a reason why Vancouver has the lowest crime rates and we don’t experience some of the challenges that other cities have.”