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Alberta’s economic downturn is having an odd impact on the Edmonton Police Service.

It turns out people facing financial hardship because of the collapse in oil price have skipped town or are simply refusing to pay traffic fines and that has left a hole in the department’s projected finances.

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A report to the Edmonton Police Commission Thursday showed a revenue shortfall of $2.93 million due to “a decrease in the volume of tickets paid and collected despite an increase of tickets issued by police members.”

Coupled with overspending on personnel by $183,000 and underspending on non-personnel items by $83,000, it means the police service received about $3 million less than it had budgeted for at the end of last year.

“I think it’s a consequence of the economy,” Police Chief Rod Knecht said of people not paying their fines.

“We have some folks who have worked in Alberta and have returned to wherever and are no longer residents of this province.