Cobourg Police Town Hall will help chart the way forward
09-11-2024 8:48 a,m.
COBOURG
A Town Hall event held by Cobourg Police Service Thursday night was an exercise in pinpointing the most pressing community concerns in order to help them provide the service that is most needed.
Following Thursday night's Town Hall, the Cobourg Police Service has issued a press release to report on the event.
Take-away from the exercise, held at the Lions Community Centre, identified several initial themes – more visibility in neighbourhoods, timely follow-up on inquiries and non-violent minor crimes, clarification of the role of police, and increased transparency.
“The active participation and collaboration of residents is instrumental in fostering a safer and more connected community,” the announcement said.
In the press release, Chief Paul VandeGraaf recognized “the significant impact of the past 15 months on our community and our members,” referring to the encampment situation that began in August 2023 on Cobourg's west beach.
When encampment members were moved along from that site, they settled on Northumberland County property at 600 William St., where the county arranged extra security for the grounds.
When this proved untenable and they were moved along, they settled on provincial property – the former Brookside Youth Centre at 390 King St. E. - where the province declined to order any kind of eviction. For more than a year now, it has largely fallen to the Cobourg Police Service to keep order, with a report in September pegging these additional costs at more than $81,000.
In recent police board meetings, the chief has referred to the newest legislation, the Community Safety an Policing Act.
“This is just the first reflection on what we have heard from residents,” he said in the press release.
“We will be debriefing with the team to align strategies already under way and find solutions that meet community expectations and the requirements under the new Act while being sustainable and within our capacity.”
A video recording of the event is available on the Cobourg Police Service YouTube Channel.