The OPP representatives presented a proposal to North Huron Council Monday night that would see the Wingham Police Service amalgamated with the local OPP detachment on an OPP Cost Saving Program.
OPP Staff Sergeant Liane Spong explained that while the proposal doesn't save a lot of money for taxpayers, she touted the OPP's budget proposal as "changing the flash." She says OPP cruisers are already on Wingham streets regularly, and their service would remain the same or increase slightly within the town, based on data gathered from across municipalities they patrol.
Wingham Police Chief Tim Poole says his 2017 operational budget, which was approved by the Police Service Board, is $1,161,214. The OPP proposal is $1,260,160, for a difference of $98,946 more than the current budget for the Wingham Police Service.
According to Chief Poole, that does not include an estimate of over $200,000 in OPP startup costs.
When discussing whether they should set up their own town police force, representatives from the town of Carling, Ontario toured Wingham's town police facilities in 2015 and called them "the best and most efficient municipal police service in Ontario."
North Huron Council voted to accept the information, and discuss it in detail at a future meeting.
The OPP currently has 323 municipalities that they police.
