FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Department of Justice and Public Safety’s operating budget is increasing by $52.4 million this year to provide strategic investments to address the crime rate.

The department’s 2023-24 budget is $366.7 million, which represents an increase of 16.67 per cent from last year’s budget.

“The crime rate has been going in the wrong direction for years,” said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin. “By investing in police officers, Crown attorneys and corrections resources we can turn this trend around.”

The department will use the budgetary increase to invest an additional:

  • $20.5 million in the provincial policing services agreement, that will pay for 80 additional RCMP officers, including 51 new frontline officers for rural areas;
  • $3 million for the corrections branch to reflect increased costs due to an increased crime rate;
  • $3.7 million for new programming for inmates in provincial jails, designed to help them change their lives and avoid re-offending once released;
  • $6.1 million for inspections and enforcement, representing the increased cost of department peace officers who support police in community safety;
  • $535,000 for family Crown services, reflecting the need for additional staff to manage the child protection caseload;
  • $2.1 million for sheriff services to cover pressures in the justice system resulting from increased crime;
  • $2.1 million in the grant for legal aid; and
  • $5.6 million in the budget for public prosecution services for a 49 per cent increase in the number of Crown prosecutors, and more support staff.

“Public Safety Minister Kris Austin and I are very proud of this budget,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Hugh J. Flemming. “Reducing crime requires investing in a number of areas, and that is what we are doing.”

13-04-23