The proposed hiring of 20 new uniformed officers in 2026 will restart a cycle of staffing expansion, said Waterloo Regional Police Chief Mark Crowell, leading into a multi-year plan to boost its ranks.

During the presentation of the $272.6-million 2026 draft budget to police’s services board Wednesday, Crowell said the need to hire more officers comes as Waterloo Regional Police have the lowest sworn-member-to-population ratio of the Big 12 police services, but the highest of police-reported crime incidents per officer and the third-highest police-reported crime charges per officer.

Along with Waterloo Region, the Big 12 services consist of Windsor, Toronto, Greater Sudbury, Niagara Region, Peel Region, Hamilton, London, Ottawa, Durham Region, York Region and Halton Region.

The last hir

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