The Winkler Police Service is pushing pause, for now, on rolling out body-worn cameras.
After a trial run a few years ago, the department had originally been looking at introducing them in 2026 at a cost of approximately $81,000 annually. They’ve now opted to defer equipping officers with the technology until possibly next year.
Chief Ryan Hunt explained the police service is still getting a handle on the new provincial digital evidence management system. The updated system modernizes and streamlines how officers submit their evidence to the courts, but there is a learning curve to using it.
“It’s a pretty big change to the way that we’ve been doing things for so many years … it required some operational changes and I just felt to add another thing into the mix would be too much,” he shared, stressing, however, that body cameras are still something they very much want to add to their arsenal of evidence-gathering tools. “It’s definitely something we still want to do, and we do see the value in it for sure.
“I think every police service is going to be on board with body cameras at some point and we want to be right there doing it as well … our goal now is 2027.”
While cameras won’t be in their 2026 budget, the department will be dipping into the police reserve fund to replace an aging police cruiser with a new one, at a cost of $90,000.
They’ve also earmarked funds to hire two new constables. It costs about $100,000 to train and outfit a new member, not including their salaries.
“We have a couple of retirements that are kind of right near on the horizon here,” Hunt said. “So if we can get a couple more officers hired now that will help us out a lot with [maintaining] our number of officers that we have on the streets.”
The department currently has 22 officers, including the chief and deputy chief.
Hunt said they hope to complete the extensive hiring process this spring and summer so the selected candidates can enter the police academy in fall.
“The training is roughly nine months—four months in Winnipeg, four months out here doing field training, and then back to Winnipeg for a short stint,” he said, before they return to the community as rookie police officers.
They’re looking for people who want a career serving their community, Hunt said.
“We’re looking for somebody that’s of good character, hardworking, and perhaps has some life experience,” he said. “That being said, we have also hired in the past pretty young constables that have turned out to be fantastic officers.
“Really, just good, upstanding people that want to work at helping keep the community safe.”
The detailed application form, including the physical requirements, are available online at winklerpolice.ca.
