The recent move to Sapperton's brewery district may be costing Transit Police an extra $1.5 million, but Chief Neil Dubord said the move comes with some major benefits.
"It allows us to be able to amalgamate (TransLink) operations into one building. Previously we were in two separate buildings, and whenever you're separated, even if it's just by blocks, it's difficult for communication," he said.
As previously reported by The Record, TransLink headquarters, Transit Police operations and head offices for Coast Mountain Bus Company will share the new location in New Westminster's brewery district come fall.
The move has been cited as a money-saver for TransLink (saving the company $2.6 million per year), as well as a benefit for communications between the three transit operations.
The move, along with inflation costs for employee benefits packages, will cost the police department about $1.5 million extra - which is about a five per cent increase from last year's budget, according to the Transit Police's first quarter financial report.
While Dubord admits it's a lot, he said there wasn't much choice involved in the decision to move to the Sapperton location.
"We didn't have any say at all. It was a decision made by TransLink," he said. "It wasn't like we could opt out."
Dubord added that unlike municipal police departments, the Transit Police is required to pay rent for the location it occupies, which has to be factored into the budget. "For us, because we aren't municipally funded, ... TransLink pays rent in the building, so that rent is then shared with the Transit Police," he said.
The added costs were announced in the quarterly report, which also announced the Transit Police's successful savings of about $400,000 for officer overtime pay. While the added expenses of moving and benefits have offset these savings, Dubord said his force is looking for other ways of cutting corners.
"We'll be looking at other efficiencies this year to be able to ensure that we can do whatever we can to save and cut corners," he said.
But despite the added costs, Dubord said he is pleased the move means easier access to the SkyTrain system for officers.
"The accessibility to the SkyTrain system is certainly so great from Sapperton, with us just being able to walk the bridge," he said.
