As Cobourg police chief Paul VandeGraaf defends a proposed 20.5 per cent increase to the police service’s 2026 budget, he is continuing to advocate for bail reform.
On Wednesday (November 12), the police service released a summary of bail statistics for the year to date. According to the summary, of 142 cases reviewed, 54 people were released on bail 73 times, including 14 people who were released multiple times, while 69 people were remanded in custody.
Police say the charges included breaking probation or release conditions, property crimes, weapons offences, drug trafficking (cocaine and opioids), and violent crimes like threats and assault.
“The current bail system presents real challenges, especially when individuals facing serious charges, such as weapons offences and drug trafficking, are released and re-offend,” Chief VandeGraaf said in a statement. “Each case impacts not only our police service but also the courts and the community at large.”
Frequent bail releases “increase the workload for officers, strain the courts, and raise public safety concerns,” the media release states, adding that “managing bail compliance and monitoring re-offenders diverts resources from other priorities.”
According to the police service, court administration costs account for 11.5 per cent of the police budget, including all legislated court functions except for court security, with administration of the bail system representing 3.75 per cent of the budget.
The Cobourg Police Service “supports meaningful bail reform that prioritizes public safety, protects victims and first responders, and holds repeat and violent offenders accountable,” reads the release.
“Stronger bail provisions, tougher sentencing, clear and enforceable conditions, advanced investigative tools, and close collaboration with justice partners are critical to breaking the cycle of re-offending and restoring public confidence.”
In its crime-reporting media releases, the police service recently began including notes about the number of arrests and charges in the last year for an individual facing new charges, including the nature of the past charges as well as the number of police interactions with the individual.
“Our officers work tirelessly to protect Cobourg, but the cycle of release and re-offending strains resources and puts victims and residents at risk,” Chief VandeGraaf said. “We are committed to working with our justice partners to ensure that bail decisions reflect the seriousness of the charges and the risk to our community.”
As for the proposed 2026 police budget, the police board recently approved a request for a 20.5 per cent increase, which is over five times the four per cent budget target set in July by Cobourg mayor Lucas Cleveland using his strong mayor powers and almost four times the 5.5 per increase in the 2025 budget. The increase would see the police budget increase by $1.7 million to $9.5 million, with $1.6 million of the increase funded by taxypayers.
Chief VandeGraaf has repeatedly defended the requested increase as being required to meet the legislative obligations and requirements under the province’s new Community Safety and Policing Act, stating there is no discretionary spending in the budget.
