Police board hears of initiatives and results
File Photo
By Cecilia Nasmith
In the absence of Chief Paul VandeGraaf – who, it was said, was stuck on Highway 401 – the Chief's Update report at the January Cobourg Police Services Board meeting was given by Deputy Chief Jeff Haskins.
Haskins spotlighted a recent search warrant under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act – executed in partnership with their Port Hope counterparts – that resulted in two arrests and and drug seizures worth $320,000.
The list included 427 grams of fentanyl, 30 grams of cocaine, 46 grams of crystal meth, 12 grams of morphine, 40 grams of psilocybin, Canadian currency, multiple cell phones, and assorted packaging and cooking materials.
A subsequent arrest four days later brought in more cocaine and oxycontin pills being taken off the street.
“While a significant seizure may capture public attention for a moment, it's important to recognize the extensive work required even to obtain a warrant, and the co-ordination of multiple units and co-ordinating these operations,” Haskins noted.
“I congratulate the Cobourg team and their partners in Port Hope.”
The Deputy Chief also spotlighted recent organized-crime arrests that were a multi-agency collaboration both in arrests and investigations in the wake of emerging trends and patterns that have resulted in increased reports of retail crime.
On Nov. 27, Cobourg and Port Hope units collaborated on the arrest of two suspects and the execution of a search warrant on a vehicle that contained suspected stolen merchandise (clothing, jewelry, household items and more than 100 chocolate bars).
Three other arrests the first week of January left three suspects facing charges and the seizure of $16,183 worth of merchandise (sunglasses, perfume and cologne, candy and gum, protein bars, five-hour energy drinks and more than 400 chocolate bars).
“These trends reinforce the importance of co-ordinated regional strategies rather than isolated local efforts,” he stated.
The Cobourg and Port Hope police services partnered in September on Project Deter, which is a provincially funded pilot of a street-crime unit that involves collaboration and intelligence sharing. Though these funds end in a few months, Haskins said, there is a recent application to the Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario that brought in a grant of $240,000 to continue this work.
The Deputy Chief was also enthusiastic about another partnership, this one with Cobourg Collegiate Institute, Port Hope High School and Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre. The Stand Up Stay Strong program fields Cobourg Police Service teams to work with Grade 9 students for physical-defence training and education on such issues as health relationships, consent and on-line safety.
Their annual Shop With A Cop on Dec. 14 saw 10 young participants – identified to police through schools and social-services partners – pair up with a member of the Police Services team to shop for gifts for loved ones (plus something special for themselves). The shopping was followed by a pizza lunch and an afternoon of gift wrapping.
Looking ahead, mark your calendar for March 22's Polar Plunge for Special Olympics – to participate or to donate.
And the third annual Battle of the Badges, which pits players from the police service against players from the Cobourg Fire Department, comes to Cobourg Community Centre April 4 at 7:30 p.m. in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We are hoping police will bring home the trophy this year, but more importantly, we can raise awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters and the good work they do,” Haskins said.
Board Vice-Chair Sean Graham praised the work made possible through the collaboration of Port Hope and Cobourg forces, and pointed approvingly to the drop in violent crime – from 330 cases in 2024 to 259 in 2025.
“That is huge. That is a credit to the service,” Graham said.
