Possible police merger in the works

West Grey Police headquarters in Durham, June 2020 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

West Grey and Owen Sound are talking about merging their municipal police forces.

West Grey council has already passed a motion to pursue talks with Owen Sound about a joint police force. Owen Sound is expected to pass a similar motion at their council meeting Monday night.

The proposed move might start as sharing administrative duties but could eventually lead to a complete merger.

The idea of merging police forces is a cost cutting move by both communities. Owen Sound spends over $8.5 million per year on their police force, while West Grey spends $4.5 million per year.

The idea of joining police forces has come up as recently as 2019 and 2022, but it appears both councils are finally interested in moving forward with the possibility of one police force for the two neighbouring communities.