Mayor Mike Savage is open to options, but doesn't suspect layoffs will be one of them

Halifax Regional Police are looking for a budget increase of almost five per cent for the next fiscal year, but Mayor Mike Savage says he won't allow it.

Council rejected the police department's proposed $112 million budget last week and sent it back to the Board of Police Commissioners to find ways to cut back on spending.

Mayor Savage said during the meeting that he could not support the budget and wanted to see it cut by $1 million.

Savage explains that he expected the police budget to rise due to a 2.75 per cent arbitration award for police salaries over a five year period, but he says the compensation line was up by 5 per cent, not the expected 2.75 per cent. He felt the jump was not well explained either.

"I would never tell the police what to spend money on" he told NEWS 95.7's Rick Howe. "But if somebody comes to me and they're looking for a five per cent increase in compensation, I need to know why."

"At a point in time where most citizens are not getting an increase in their wages, we need to make sure that we're being very diligent with the entire budget process, and I can tell you we've been very diligent so far with all departments saying 'look, we need to make sure we get good service for the citizens but also at the right price'," he said.

Some have speculated that budget cuts might lead to layoffs within the HRP, but Savage says he doesn't support the idea.

"No councillors that I know of spoke about layoffs or supporting layoffs. I don't think anybody wants to see layoffs," he said.

It's also been suggested by some to get rid of the dual policing system in which the HRP and the RCMP share policing duties across communities.

Mayor Savage says he's happy with the system and doesn't think consolidation is the answer either.

"I would say there's an inherent advantage to having a system that works," he said, applauding the efforts and collaboration of the two departments. "I'm always open to new ideas but it would have to be awfully strong."

Savage notes that crime in Halifax has gone down in recent years, due in part to a good policing system.

He's also very pleased with police's preventative measures such as working in communities and working in schools.

"We always need to look at new ways of doing things, but I don't want to suggest that we can dramatically reduce our police presence without having an impact on service to the community."