Call volume increases for Windsor police

Windsor Police Service Chief Jason Bellaire in Windsor, Ont., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Source: Windsor Police Services Board)/Facebook)

Windsor police call volumes have increased, with mental health and addiction being one of the leading requests for service, according to their annual report.

Chief Jason Bellaire presented the 2022 Windsor Police Annual Report at Monday's city council meeting, and took questions on how council can assist the force to better respond to their challenges.

The report shows an increase in overall calls received at 410,707 in 2022, which is a seven per cent increase compared to 2021.

Crimes against persons were up 9.78 per cent in 2022, crimes against property up 5.18 per cent and youth-related crimes were up by 11.89 per cent, compared to 2021.

The report suggests the main driver of the calls for service were related to mental health and addictions, Bellaire says this is an issue because police are not the subject matter experts, but they are making some progress, such as with the new initiative Nurse Police Teams (NPT) that launched earlier this month.

"We looked through our data, we used the hospital data, we found the busiest hours for the emergency department and we put the resources out on the street. We brought the emergency department out to the people who need it for wound care or substance use issues because that's what the information told us we should do," he said, according to AM800 News.

Bellaire says they will continue engaging community partners to find proactive solutions to those problems to benefit the people dealing with them and the overall community.

Bellaire told council that it's not surprising to see some of the crime statistics go up with a growing population.

He says they are addressing that by looking inside their organization to reinvest people into strategies they believe will help reduce recidivist crimes.

"Enhance social order, and try to connect people to the much needed services. That, we think, if connected to services in a timely way will reduce the overall calls for service and the strain on scarce police resources," says Bellaire.

Bellaire also highlighted other initiatives, including having an officer at Windsor Regional Hospital 24/7, the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, and the Community Outreach and Support team.

Road safety is also listed as another area the service is focusing on. Bellaire told council they will continue to monitor dangerous intersections and be on the lookout for stunt drivers.