Fund community services, address root causes of crime, increase training, reduce weapons

How is it that our city spends almost 20% of taxpayer dollars on funding the police, comparable to the amount spent on public health, paramedics, the library, social housing, parks and recreation, and employment services combined?

When you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, the saying goes, and the police department is too often the immediate reflex in responding to delicate issues that require a more sensitive approach.

Please reallocate police funding to:

• mental health support
• addressing poverty and homelessness
• harm reduction (incl. safe consumption sites)
• de-escalation training (regular intervals)
• anti-oppression training (regular intervals)
• require more than 13 weeks' training to become an officer
• de-weaponize police officers the way San Francisco is doing
• a community education campaign for what services people can call instead of police
• train call centre staff to redirect the response to the appropriate service staff