By Cecilia Nasmith
Outstanding partnerships make the Cobourg Police Service a model any police force might emulate, Chief Paul VandeGraaf told Cobourg council Monday in a report on the service for 2019.
“We treat the safety of our community and crime prevention as a shared responsibility – it's everyone's business,” the chief said.
“Every member of the Cobourg Police Service is moving in the same direction,” he added, citing the Police Services Board, volunteers, Youth In Policing members as well as uniformed and auxiliary officers.
“Everything we do is with a collective eye toward crime prevention.”
The force consists of 34 uniformed officers, 21 special constables and 15 auxiliary constables. They responded to 11,391 calls for service in 2019, the single highest number in the force's history. Criminal charges resulted in 15% of those cases, and arrests were up 50% from 2018.
VandeGraaf expanded on those numbers with a further breakdown, starting with 73 detailed forensics interview that led to more than 185 charges and 45 arrests.
In addition to crystal meth, cocaine and illegal marijuana, 107.99 grams of suspected fentanyl was seized.
Drug violations were up 54%, but the success rate in solving them topped 100% (because of some 2018 matters that were also cleared).
Breaches of probation are up by 76%.
Sexual assaults are down by 16.7%, with 72% solved.
Interventions requiring force represent fewer than 1% of all calls, VandeGraaf reported.
Robberies are up 120%, with 81.8% resolved.
Thefts from motor vehicles saw an 84% increase, with 94% of them solved.
“As bad as these numbers are, I can say many more go unreported,” the chief said.
“We need the community to lock it or lose it.”
VandeGraaf was especially impressed with the 4,885 hours his volunteers have given, and this dedication continues in 2020 with the patrols they put in during the early weeks of the pandemic to enforce social distancing and provide public education.
There are almost too many partnerships to mention, but VandeGraaf was happy to offer details on a few – like their work with Northumberland Hills Hospital social-services crisis worker on the Mental Health Engagement And Response Team. This initiative saw them make 2,188 contacts (an average of 11.5 a day) with 257 individuals who needed help they were not getting.
Working with Rebound Child and Youth Services, they created the intersectoral partnership program for children under 12 at risk of involvement with the criminal-justice system. Nine children completed the program, he said, “and their families responded that they feel confident and secure on the path forward for their children.”
With Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre, they worked with 210 young women in the Stand Up Stay Strong program as well as the Violence Against Women Response Enhancement Project.
At Venture 13, the Police Tech Accelerator promises to make Cobourg a major centre in next-generation projects that will enhance policing through predictive analysis, evidence-based policing, community-relations optimization and other initiatives with research-and-development opportunities, pilot projects and access to start-up investment.
Their corporate services continue to be a booming success, VandeGraaf said. In 2019, they processed 1.3-million criminal checks that allowed people to pursue volunteer and employment opportunities and brought in more than $2-million. They put $930,000 toward the force's capital costs, covering 97% of these requirements, and they anticipate it will cover 100% in 2020.
“That would mean our capital costs do not affect the taxpayer,” he said.
