Exploring Barriers to Researching the Economics of Municipal Policing

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Main Authors: Sytsma, Victoria A., Laming, Erick
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 2019
• Subjects: First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cjccj.2017-0056.r2; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/cjccj.2017-0056.r2

Using Ontario municipal expenditure and access to various technologies as an entry point, this article identifies several barriers to and limitations of studying the economics of policing in Canada. We explore several data sources, including the Police Administration Survey, Statistics Canada Census Program, the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, and municipal and First Nations police service annual reports. We conclude that in an era of evidence-based policing, Canadian researchers and practitioners are unable to explore capital expenditure in any meaningful way because of restrictions on accessing detailed equipment information, as well as limitations of the existing Police Administration Survey. Further, several challenges are associated with identifying land area of jurisdiction and size of population served by municipal police services. Such challenges are heightened in those jurisdictions served by First Nations services.