The proposed $1.25-million budget cut to the Saint John police would mean cutting all constables from the traffic, street crime and community response units and reassigning them to patrol.
That from police union president Duane Squires who says the reassignment would take effect on January 1, 2018 and the reason they’ve been given for this decision has to do with saving on overtime.
“We believe the cuts are quite substantial and are going to impact the community,” Squires says.
He expects they’ll see calls for service increase as they move from a proactive to reactive policing model.
“With the elimination of our street crime unit, I don’t want to come out and say it’s open for business, but if we don’t have anybody watching these certain drug dealers, then what business are you inviting to the city?” says Squires.
“We have six members in our association that are not covered under the no-layoff clause that we currently have in our contract and those members are exposed. At the end of the day nobody wants to see a member lose their position and lose their job and have to go home.”
Squires says there are supervisors in each one of these units and they would be staying where they are.
The proposed city budget goes back before Common Council at its next meeting on Monday evening.
