NCJ Number
138388
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 157-170
Date Published
1992
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The factors affecting the per capita costs of policing in 59 Canadian municipalities were studied by means of a questionnaire survey of municipalities with populations over 10,000.
Abstract
The questionnaire sought information about total costs in 1980, as well as the components of the costs. Thirty-four of the municipalities were located in Ontario, 8 in British Columbia, 10 in the Prairies, and 7 in Atlantic Canada. Results revealed that both total and per person costs varied widely. The lowest per capita cost was $41.58, and the highest was $94.66; the average was $60.16. Adjusting for inflation, the 1991 average would be $113.42. Factors positively associated with per capita spending were population density, population, and crime rates. The strongest linkage was between the average household size and expenditures per capita, with increasing household sizes associated with decreasing expenditures per capita. Police agency characteristics such as average salaries and the ratio of residents to officers also affected costs. An unexpected finding was the lack of a significant relationship between police costs and the percentage of civilian personnel, probably because increased reliance on civilians tended to be accompanied by higher salaries for sworn officers. Findings indicated that community characteristics are the factor most closely related to police costs, with household size the strongest predictor. These findings underscore the need for police agencies to understand and work with communities so that crime is viewed as a community problem and not simply a problem for the police. Figures, tables, footnotes, and 13 references