Proposed ticketing scheme for minor offences could save police considerable cash

OTTAWA – Police would have the option of ticketing people for a range of minor offences — instead of laying criminal charges — under a plan that could yield significant savings for the cash-strapped justice system.

Timothy Smith, a spokesman for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, says the idea has emerged from discussions fostered by the federal government on curbing rising policing costs.

Under the proposal, officers would have the option of ticketing people for offences such as causing a disturbance, public nudity, falsifying an employment record, soliciting prostitution, vagrancy or trespassing.

It builds on a resolution the Chiefs of Police passed last August that would give forces the discretion to issue a ticket under the Contraventions Act for possession of a small amount of cannabis.

Last January the federal Public Safety minister hosted a summit on the economics of policing that included officers and chiefs from across the country, government officials and academics.

Officials say the cost of policing is steadily rising — hitting more than $12 billion in 2010 — even though the crime rate is falling.