VicPD to pay twice as much for PRIME
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Victoria Police Department is preparing for a financial blow when the cost of a province-wide computer system it uses doubles next year.
Police departments will now have to pay twice as much for PRIME, or Police Records Information Management Environment, in 2010. The system shares information between all police departments and RCMP detachments in B.C.
Since adopting PRIME in 2003, VicPD has been paying $500 per officer to access the mandated system, resulting in an annual cost of $120,000. Starting in January, the department pays $1,000 per officer, or $240,000 per year.
The announcement came from the B.C. Solicitor General's office.
"This is the unfortunate part: That by (the province) making their budget cuts, this is a case of downloading to municipalities. The result is a direct impact to property taxes," said Dean Fortin, chair of the Victoria police board and the city's mayor. "This is just one of many challenges we're facing."
Vice-chair and Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins asked: "Where do we make up the shortfall?"
Until 2010, the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General has been subsizing the cost of implementing and operating PRIME.
Ian Indridson, senior public affairs officer, said police departments have known for three years they would need to start paying the full cost as of 2010.
Approximately $63 million from the City of Victoria and $6 million from the Township of Esquimalt make up Victoria Police Department's annual budget. The Victoria police board is currently working on its 2010 budget, which will be presented at a joint council-board meeting on Nov. 5.
ecardone@vicnews.com
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