The town of Smiths Falls is the last municipality in Lanark County to have its own police service, but one councillor is looking to see if there are other options. A motion brought before a recent council meeting is directing staff to “provide a written report to council detailing the process the Town would following to carry out a review of different policing options.” According to the motion, “the town is facing unprecedented inflationary cost increases to its overall capital and operational expenditures.” Coun. Peter McKenna tells CTV News Ottawa that policing is the single largest item in the town’s budget. “We have a very good police service. So, we have an obligation as council at budget time and throughout the year to find, is this the most efficient and effective way to deliver these services?” McKenna said. According to the motion, the cost per capita to deliver the current Smiths Falls Police Service is estimated to be $675 in 2026. The cost per capita for delivering Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) services to more than 300 municipalities is estimated to be $362 in 2025. “The OPP brings a lot of cost effectiveness and economy of scale to the municipality,” says CTV’s Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis. “It’s just about cost effectiveness.” Lewis says Perth and Carleton Place switched to having OPP provide policing services years ago. “Typically, when this occurs, it’s the same officers patrolling the community wearing a different uniform and driving different cars.” Lewis tells CTV News Ottawa a municipality exploring other options for policing is “about cost effectiveness.” “The officers in the OPP and in Smiths Falls are all trained at the Ontario Police College,” Lewis said. “They’re all great officers. There’s no one officer from any department that is better than anyone else and Smiths Falls is a good police service. I’ve known many of the chiefs and the current one who’s a wonderful police chief. So it’s not about that – it’s about cost effectiveness.” Smiths Falls staff are asked to provide the report by the end of June.
