Tourism could suffer, police coverage drop and taxes increase if the Niagara Parks Police Service can't secure a renewal of the agreement it needs to continue operating, Niagara Parks Commission officials say.

The Niagara Parks Police could be disbanded in June unless the service gets the renewal that has proven tough to pin down since it expired in 2008.

"If they diminish our authority as special constables, at that point, we're unable to continue providing the policing service at the level we currently do," parks police Chief Doug Kane said in an interview. "It creates a void that would have to be picked up by the Niagara Regional Police Service. That would come with a cost."

Kane and other Niagara Parks Commission officials are sounding the alarm about the consequences of not being able to renew the "special constable agreement" allowing the Niagara Parks Commission to have its own police force on its property.

Please see full story in Thursday's Review.

clarocque@nfreview.com