Winnipeg Mayoral Candidates Pledge Increased Policing and Surveillance

Mayoral candidates in Winnipeg are proposing expanded policing and new surveillance technology ahead of the upcoming civic election. Kevin Klein and Scott Gillingham both committed to increasing the number of police officers on the force. Klein specifically claimed the city is 100 officers short of the per capita minimum.

Candidate Mike Vogiatzakis proposed the introduction of drones to monitor city problems. He pledged to meet with the police board and police chief within his first 30 days in office to implement these changes.

These proposals arrive as the Winnipeg Police Service consumes 27 percent of the city's 1.49 billion dollar operating budget, totaling 370 million dollars. Criminologist Kevin Walby argues that this high per capita spending has failed to reduce social issues, which he claims have worsened both visibly and statistically.