Vancouver police are setting up a $ 6.5-million pilot program for community safety.
It’s based on a model from the UK.
If approved, 30 full-time and unarmed peace officers will be appointed – starting April 1.
The team’s purpose is to respond to non-priority calls.
The board has also approved its 2013 budget, at $ 219 million.
Mayor Gregor Robertson says extra funding is needed to better fight overall crime.
“The overall goal here is to become the safest major city in Canada and we still have crime rates that are above what they should be. So I think we still have work to do at driving down crime across our city and we’re not going to back off until we’re achieving that goal.”
This year’s budget was $ 204 million.
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