Hamilton’s police board approves $15.2M budget increase

The Hamilton Police Service Board has approved a $15.2-million budget increase, bumping the service’s total proposed budget up to $239 million.

This represents a 6.81 per cent increase from last year’s budget. Proposed changes will need to pass through the city’s General Issues Committee before being finalized.

Hamilton police say they intend to make two key investments with their 2026 budget: the creation of an Intimate Partner Violence Unit (IPV), and expansions to the Core Patrol.

In a press release issued Friday, police say the creation of the IPV is a necessary response to the City of Hamilton’s 2023 declaration of intimate partner violence as an epidemic. The unit would consist of 20 detectives and one civilian, and offer “trauma-informed, victim-centered” support for survivors, as well as “increased offender management and improved court outcomes.”

Hamilton police have not released any details on what that support would look like, or if any existing community supports for survivors would be involved with the IPV.

The release also noted increased call volumes and pressure related to mental health, the unhoused, and “social disorder.” Total calls have increased 30 per cent over the last five years, with more than 415,000 calls received in 2025.

One of the most notable figures found in the budget proposal is Hamilton’s rate of hate-motivated crime. According to Hamilton police data, hate crimes have increased by 173.2 per cent over the least five years.

Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen initially asked for a larger budget increase, but was instructed by the police board to find $1.2 million in savings before the proposal is sent to council.

“Yesterday, as we had our board meeting, we’d gone in with a 7.37 per cent ask,” Bergen told CHCH News in an interview.

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Speaking about the Core Patrol, Bergen says the expansion of the patrol will allow for a more proactive approach to crime response.

“Right now we’re stuck in a model that is a reaction model. That reaction model means […] ‘why don’t I see police?’ You can’t see police in fact if we’re just responding to calls. […] This will allow us to expand that ability to be where we need to be.”

According to police, employee-related costs make up about 93 per cent of all operating expenditures. When asked where he would find the $1.2 million in savings, Bergen said he would “have to return to the actual table with our team.”

In next year’s budget, police are looking to prioritize items like covering rising costs in salaries, adding more officers and sustaining investments into technology used by authorities.

At the centre of the current budget process are debates over whether the police service needs more money or less.

While Ward 14 Coun. Mike Spadafora put forward last night’s amendment, Ward 2 Coun. Cameron Kroetsch also called for a similar reduction, which included suggestions on where cuts could be made.

“It’s also my understanding that that’s literally the point of this board. The city council cannot go into the budget line-by-line and request reductions, but actually the board can do that. That’s the point of the budget process,” said Kroetsch.

“I definitely, in my humble opinion, am not an expert in what the service needs in a day-to-day operation. And that’s why, for me, the motion is for the chief to find those savings and not itemize areas for him to look at,” said Spadafora.

“Prior to Chief Bergen arriving, the increases were very minimal, very bare bones. So the last couple three years has been trying to play catch up to where we should be,” said Fred Bennink, a former board member.

Council will review the budget proposal on Jan. 27.

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