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Debate over police budgets needs to be more nuanced: Lewis
February 23, 2023

Why do rising policing costs not always equate to less crime?

That was the question posed in a recent paper published in the Canadian Public Policy journal which found that there was no clear link between rising police budgets and lowering crime rates.


I’m not disputing the data or analysis in the study but the various influencing factors and underlying issues are much more complex than the average reader might appreciate.


It is true that over time, police budgets (mostly comprised of salary dollars) increase and always have a substantial impact on government budgets. It is also a reality that some crime categories rise per capita and some decrease over those same periods. Decreases can be due to prevention efforts, key arrests, or a range of other factors. Some of those factors are within the control of police, where others are not. Regardless, the goal is to lower crime numbers year after year.


The ridiculous calls by some to “Defund Police”, have thankfully fallen on deaf ears. The reality is most police departments are barely making ends meet with what they have. Some have less personnel now (i.e. Toronto) than they did prior to the pandemic.


Policing in Canada was once largely provided by ill-equipped uniformed patrol officers, who received rudimentary training that consisted of the law, related procedures and police powers, as well as self-defense techniques. When things ‘got big’, they were supported by some specialists of sort – like detectives and what we then called ‘Identification Officers’ who could photograph, gather and preserve evidence – including blood, hair and fibers and fingerprints. That was pretty much it. No tactical teams, cameras, armoured vehicles, computers, digital radios or DNA. ‘Community Policing’ was often the function of a one-officer or small unit per police service. Crime prevention as an entity, fell to that one person or unit.


But even then, salaries formed much of the police budget.


Then the policing environment changed. Organized crime grew from a handful of groups to hundreds. The world shrunk as the digital world expanded rapidly and crime extended across all borders. Investigative techniques became more complex. Technology evolved as did the ability to victimize the public more broadly, as did the cost to police services to purchase technology and train personnel to use it. Transistor radio networks which once lasted decades moved to digital systems with equipment that became dated every few years.


More police specialists – like tactical teams, proceeds of crime investigators, financial crime experts and CSI units, came out of necessity. More advanced police vehicles, uniforms, cameras and weaponry evolved, and acquisition and maintenance costs grew exponentially. Legislated standards and expensive training all became a must. Court decisions impacted disclosure rules and the processes to obtain various judicial authorities, all of which came with a tremendous cost to police services.

More recently, the threat of terrorism forced police agencies to better gather and analyze intelligence, on a global scale. Surveillance operations and investigations of this magnitude require the deployment of massive resources 24/7, from all levels of policing, to prevent attacks and the massive loss of innocent lives.


Immigration continues to contribute greatly to Canada’s growing population. Concurrently, affordable housing availability continues to diminish amid rising housing costs. This does not make for a good situation from a homelessness perspective.


I’ve often said police work would be a cakewalk if it was not for the impacts from poverty, addiction, mental health issues and the homelessness that often emanates from some of the above factors. Many detractors cry that police have taken over the response to mental health and addiction occurrences as part of some intentional ‘job-growth’ conspiracy, but the fact is that police would rather not have to deal with any of those matters, ever. Unfortunately, that’s not the real world and police have to be ‘all things to all people’ in many instances, or no one would respond. Cuts to many social services that would professionally address a number of these situations, have resulted in police becoming the fallback response.

But even if every community had the best of programs and personnel to handle these matters, police would inevitably have to respond as well in most cases. Bad things sometimes happen to good people despite best intentions, and dedicated and well-intended personnel from these agencies would be in physically dangerous situations at times. Those instances would require a timely police response, so officers would have to be very close at minimum and often in plain sight to deter assaultive behaviour from occurring.


Mental health challenges aren’t only growing among those the police serve. All police services are dealing with those issues internally. Many services report record-setting numbers of personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress injuries alone, in addition to depression and other emotional health issues that impact all of society. Although I’m heartened that members are more often seeking the help they deserve, there is a human and financial cost to that as well. (It’s important to note that the past 18 months saw more murdered police officers in Canada than ever in our history.)


The smuggling of assorted forms of contraband – including narcotics, firearms and people, into Canada – as well as stolen vehicles out of the country, impacts all communities, and the RCMP continues to suffer from a shortfall of resources to address it. Moreover, the vast majority of guns used in violent crime in Canada – particularly when involving street gangs, are smuggled handguns from the U.S. That trend continues to grow and impacts public safety in Canada in municipalities of all sizes as well as rural and indigenous communities, and at a time where our national police are challenged to play a leading enforcement role.


The horrific sexual exploitation of children through the internet is a global issue. It has required a huge increase in dedicated investigators and technology. As has monitoring extremist groups through the internet and physically in our communities.


Protracted, linked and sometimes massive protests occur daily in this country. Often several occur simultaneously. Intelligence gathering, monitoring protest groups online, planning and responding to events has become a significant and resource intensive responsibility for police. At one time, the occasional labour strike was as close to a tense protest as police ever saw. When they did occur, police amassed a large group of officers and dealt with it. Now highly trained and equipped units must be in place to meet the full-time demand.


The pandemic years also took a horrific toll on police resources and budgets. Many tax dollars were spent to purchase personal protective equipment. Although certain calls for service diminished over those years, others like mental health calls and domestic disturbances increased, while police services struggled to meet their staffing needs as their own employees and families dealt with the personal consequences of COVID.


Police oversight is undoubtedly a necessity but continues to grow and also comes with a financial cost to police services.


Through collective bargaining, police salaries continue to rise and are a huge part of any municipal/provincial budget. Officers are well paid given their difficult role in society and from recruiting and retention perspectives. Vehicle and fuel costs as well as other operating expenses are rising also.


And don’t forget, our justice system is a huge contributor to rising police costs. Revolving door bail and parole systems where violent offenders are released quicker than officers can write their reports; numerous appearances where officers have to sit in court on overtime all day only to not get called as witnesses; criminal cases being tossed after days, months or years of investigation because of trial delays; and so on.


So, is rising police spending allowing police to adequately address new business?


Remember, the old business has not gone away. Assaults, murders, break-ins, robberies, thefts, domestic disturbances, traffic issues – including collisions, deaths and injuries ALL still occur with regularity, at the same time police are trying to properly meet the modern challenges mentioned above. You cannot look at rising policing costs and increasing crime rates as a failure. It’s way bigger than that. Most often these larger budgets are barely meeting inflation, while trying to address emerging crime numbers, growing public order events and ever-increasing complexity all around. Something has to give in this process.


It’s also important to note that no two municipalities are the same or face the same challenges. City “A” may have the same population as city “B” but many local factors come into play in terms of their local crime trends. Social, economic, housing, education, government services, industrial, demographic, climate, geography and other nuances can influence criminal activity.

What is the answer?

Police leaders must always do the right things to prevent crime and victimization in a fiscally responsible, open and honest way. When crimes do occur, they must similarly ensure the service is committed to professionally and effectively investigating and bringing suspects before the courts, within the parameters of the law and the Charter of Rights.


They need to be adequately funded to do that, not unjustly crying “there will be blood in the streets”, but at the same time honestly fighting for what their members truly need to protect the public and their members. The vast, vast majority do just that.


Governments must be armed with the facts and provided with the confidence that their police service is as effective and accountable as possible, then publicly defend and fully support their service, not further drag them down for some personal or partisan motive.


Lastly, we all have a role to play in understanding the realities of policing – knowing that they will have many successes and occasional failures, and do all we can to help them achieve ‘our’ mutual community safety goals.

Should the Police Chief be blamed for the misdeeds of subordinates?

By Chris Lewis • February 13, 2026
I say "No."

When Oversight Becomes Overreach: Why a Few Bad Officers Must Not Redefine Policing

By Chris Lewis • February 11, 2026
Policing depends on public trust. So does police oversight. When either loses credibility, both suffer and the public they are sworn to serve isn’t sure who to believe or where to turn. In recent years, calls for stronger police oversight have grown louder, often driven by a small number of high-profile misconduct cases. Confidence in institutions by the public – often fueled by ridiculous social media theories and damnations, is more fragile than in the past, and reputational damage spreads faster. Despite the fact that Canadian police officers operate under tight legislative and regulatory frameworks that exceed any other Canadian profession in my view, existing oversight bodies feel pressure to take action quickly when bad things happen, as isolated as they may be. But there is a risk in this moment that deserves equal attention: the risk of overreach. The seven officers who have been alleged to have committed crimes – including serious ones that involve organized crime, must not be allowed to redefine an entire profession. Public trust certainly adds urgency to this moment. When corruption cases like this surface, the public does not necessarily see them as isolated failures. They see a system that is broken and in my view in this instance they see that unfairly. Policing is unlike most professions. There are over 70,000 police officers in Canada, comprised of federal, provincial and municipal officers that work under the worst of circumstances at times and face the harshest of critics. As a result of the arrests of seven serving Toronto Police Service (TPS) officers as well as a retired officer, then the subsequent suspension of two additional TPS officers and two Peel Regional Police Service officers, a large portion of the Canadian public are focusing on the ‘bad’ and forgetting the wonderful and brave police work occurring in their communities 24/7. Officers exercise coercive authority on the public on behalf of the public, often in volatile environments. They have right to take away people’s liberty and in the worst of situations to take lives. That authority most definitely demands the greatest of accountability, but it also demands reasonable, sensible and balanced oversight. Oversight systems designed around ‘worst-case scenarios’ risk governing by exception rather than thoughtful considerations and reality. One of the most overlooked consequences of overly broad oversight is its impact on ethical officers. When serious misconduct is identified, entire services face scrutiny and as a result of the Inspector General of Policing’s announcement to inspect all 45 police services in Ontario, the impacts are far reaching and not isolated to the police service of the members in question. The risk is that the resulting collective stigma will not only damage public trust but will also hurt officer morale; officer initiative may decline; recruiting could be impacted; and the reputation of the entire profession across Ontario will be damaged because of the alleged actions of a few. Oversight that blurs critical lines risks judging officers by association rather than their individual conduct. Officer trust in the oversight system and public trust in the policing profession could both be further harmed. As a result, both the Toronto Police Association and the Police Association of Ontario have rightfully expressed their concern regarding the inspection of all of Ontario’s police services. Their distress is that the announcement may be read by many that police corruption is rife across the province. At this point we do not know how much of this alleged criminal activity occurred off duty, versus on. We don’t know all the details of what they may have done and how, let alone what processes, policies or systems within the TPS that may have to be examined by the Inspector General. He may well have identified them all, but perhaps not. As the investigation portion by police continues, more things for inspection may be identified. In the meantime, I have no doubt that Ontario’s police Chiefs are reviewing their processes based on what they know so far, to ensure their policies, systems and internal oversight mechanisms are as tight as they can reasonably be. The seven charged officers are suspended and before the courts. The justice system is entrusted with dealing with these allegations from here. Others not charged but under investigation are suspended as well. There was no rush to begin a review process as this unfolds. Announcing that it will occur when the criminal investigation is complete and when they are armed with a more fulsome understanding of the issues that should be examined, would have been more appropriate. None of this lessens the need for accountability. It argues for thoughtful processes, analysis and reporting. Misconduct should be addressed decisively and dealt with through due process as it is, but broad oversight driven by isolated wrongdoings risks weakening the institutions we all depend on. Public trust matters. Undoubtedly. But so does institutional trust in police officers. In my view, processes that signal broad-based suspicion undermine the trust they are meant to protect. Oversight works best when it is firm, fair, and controlled.

Police corruption arrests: How do we move on from here?

By Chris Lewis • February 7, 2026
Thursday’s announcement of the arrest of seven serving and one retired Toronto police officers for corruption, was a dark moment for policing in Canada and for the communities that trust their police to always do what is honest and right. At times like this it is too easy for us all to lose trust in those in which we should hold the highest level of trust in society, because of the actions of a few. I believe that we must remind ourselves about all that is good in policing in Canada – where training, standards, equipment, professionalism, governance and competence are second to none in the world. I view this as both bad news and good news stories. The bad news is that seven officers allegedly broke their oaths and committed heinous crimes. Startling, sad and completely unacceptable for the profession and more importantly for the public they were sworn to serve. The “good” news (although I struggle with the word) is that the system worked. Suspicions arose about a certain Toronto Police (TPS) officer’s potential involvement in a crime in York Region. Police there notified the Chief of the TPS, and they quickly agreed that York Regional Police (YRP) would lead the investigation, and TPS would remain in a support role by providing Professional Standards investigators and other assistance as required. I assume that would mean investigative support personnel and access to internal information about the TPS officers in question, like their schedules; what police cars they were driving; assignments and personnel file information, at minimum. By design, the TPS Chief did not have decision-making authority in the investigation. None of that raises any red flags for me. This was a large and complex investigation that eventually involved 400 officers and would require highly experienced investigators and specialty personnel. YRP and TPS have all of that and more. The leaders that addressed the media spoke competently and professionally, leaving no doubt that they would leave no stone unturned. Evidence was gathered and arrests of officers and others were made. The public was then appropriately advised of as many details as we have ever seen released in a media conference when charges were before the courts and an investigation ongoing. TPS Chief Demkiw announced he was seeking to suspend at least some of the officers without pay. That is something that has only recently became acceptable under Ontario’s policing regulations and must be used judiciously. Of course, social media “experts” and anti-police pundits took over from there. Please allow me to offer answers to some of the most consistent queries: Why wasn’t an independent oversight body like the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) brought on to investigate? Police shouldn’t investigate police! It’s not the legislated mandate of the SIU to conduct criminal investigations into police except in specific circumstances around police use of force or sexual assault. Nor is it the mandate of Ontario’s Inspectorate of Policing. These governing bodies do not possess the expertise or resources to conduct massive criminal investigations into officers and organized crime groups. Only large police services have the critical mass and knowledge to manage such difficult operations. An option for Chief Demkiw was to let his Professional Standards personnel be the liaison for TPS information and potential Police Act charges against TPS personnel that might emerge but leave the investigative support/assistance piece to another large outside service. That would’ve helped suppress any concern around TPS investigating their own. But police services often conduct criminal investigations into their own people with regularity in Ontario, unless they involve senior officers. There’s no hard and fast rule or Ministry guidelines on the issue to my knowledge. The Toronto Chief should step down. This happened under his watch. I cannot speak to his day-to-day job performance, but in my view, Chief Demkiw did not handle this case wrongly. The alleged illegal actions of 0.12% of his police personnel do not justify his removal. If he knew and didn’t take action that would be different but there is no suggestion of him doing anything but throwing his full support behind the YRP investigation. Again, perhaps he should’ve kept TPS out of it as much as possible, but that was a judgement call made in the early stages of an investigation that grew very large over time. All cops are corrupt. Why didn’t other officers stop them? What? This was seven officers in a police service of almost 6000 TPS officers and out of over 70,000 police officers in Canada. It is awful, without a doubt and concerning to say the least, but this does not mean there is a wave of police corruption and ties to organized crime across the nation. As this criminality unfolded and as we speak, thousands of officers are on the streets of Canada, saving lives and risking their own; patrolling communities; preventing crime and victimization; responding to life and death situations; arresting evil criminals and more. They do that professionally, bravely and honestly, or they are held to account under various laws and disciplinary processes. They are governed and regulated more than any other profession in Canada. Yes, some cops (even one is too many) out of those 70,000, commit crimes in their careers, which is unacceptable. Some of that occurs while they are on duty, some not. It is disappointing when it happens, but with rare exception police leaders will not accept it and will deal with it expeditiously through due process. In cases where a police supervisor or executive doesn’t take proper action, they will be held to account as well. As a rule, no one hates dirty cops more than honest cops. They hurt the profession as a whole across the continent. Canadian officers take a reputational hit regardless of where the wrongdoing occurs in North America. We don’t know the details yet of what these accused officers were doing or how much of it they were doing on the job, versus off duty. IF evidence comes to light in the ongoing investigation that colleague officers knew or participated in any way in the criminality, they will be in trouble as well. Let’s not jump to conclusions that other officers “must have known” and let the investigation run its course. Why do officers not have more oversight on the use of police databases? Police officers and a number of civilian colleagues have access to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) database that holds all licenced driver and vehicle registration information in Ontario. Most police cars have computers in them that can access that information, which includes driver’s and owners’ addresses. It is accessed non-stop, 24/7, as a regular part of core police business. Other databases involving outstanding warrants and criminal history, as well as occurrence records are similarly accessed. Government employees that work at MTO or in some other Ministries have like access to people’s names and addresses. That is reality in all 10 provinces. We cannot limit legitimate government employee access to vital systems on the off chance they may be inappropriately used. That includes those that we entrust to carry guns and make life and death decisions. When such databases are misused in some way, proper action must be taken promptly, as it was in this case, as opposed to hamstringing the operability of several hundred thousand honest employees across Canada. Canadian police officers are internationally highly-regarded, but they are human, have frailties and will honestly err on occasion while truly trying to do their best. That can be dealt with and repaired when it occurs. But when officers commit acts of malice, they will be appropriately held accountable and dealt with through due process. That is the bedrock of Canadian policing. Public trust in police is paramount to effective policing, and largely we enjoy that in our country. We cannot let this dark day define what policing actually is in Toronto or anywhere in Canada. Canadians should move forward with confidence that the system did work in this case. Those that violated our trust are before the courts. The vast, vast majority of officers that are still out there bravely doing what they do so well, will never let us down. Please give them a chance.