Windsor has officially submitted a bid to take over policing duties in the Town of Amherstburg.

Details of the offer are confidential at this time, but Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens says it’s highly competitive, which will ultimately provide savings to the Town that will be hard to ignore.

“There’s definitely a cost savings to Amherstburg, to have Windsor provide policing services,” said Dilkens after the Monday night meeting. “To the city of Windsor, it’s a lower cost for everyone who uses the police service. And the more we can get on the system, the lower it’s going to be for everyone.”

A bid is also expected from the Ontario Provincial Police.

Amherstburg is one of the last holdouts with the exception of LaSalle police to still have their own local force.

The Amherstburg Police Service, with 31 officers and three civilians, will cost the town roughly $6-million to operate this year.

Town CAO John Miceli insists the level of service will not change.

“Our primary focus is ensuring the residents of Amherstburg are getting the same level of service and the police protection they’re used to,” says Miceli.

Windsor has already successfully bid on the dispatch services in the town of Amherstburg.

Dilkens says the offer would keep the same officers patrolling the same streets that they’re patrolling today, but for less money and more services like K9, a bomb detection team and emergency response unit.

“It’s more effective service for the residents in the town of Amherstburg, but it’s also less costly,” Dilkens said.

“This is not breaking new ground. It’s already happening elsewhere and we just think it makes sense here and we provided a very competitive to the Town of Amherstburg for their consideration.”

Some suggest the town could achieve a savings of a million dollars.

“I don’t doubt that there will be savings, it’s just a question of how much, and what those savings would mean for the town” says Mayor Aldo DiCarlo.

The town of LaSalle decided in August not to submit a proposal to take over policing in Amherstburg. Mayor Ken Antaya said at the time that the town can't compete with the OPP or Windsor Police.

All final bids are due to the Town of Amherstburg by Oct. 6. The decision rests in the hands of Amherstburg council to accept a bid, or maintain the existing service.

No timeline has been set for the decision, but it is expected before the end of this term of Council.