TECUMSEH -- Tecumseh mayor Gary McNamara has expressed some uncertainty as the town's contract with the Ontario Provincial Police is set to expire next year.
The OPP presented council and administration with its "OPP billing model” on Tuesday night.
The old model expired in 2014 and the cost of policing has gone down in Tecumseh since then.
According to the report, the cost went from $495 per household to $348 in 2019, costing Tecumseh around $3.5 million for policing services.
But new regulations could be coming under the Ontario Provincial Act in 2021, and McNamara is concerned.
“We need to solidify exactly in terms of what we're getting and I want to make sure whatever boots on the ground I have in Tecumseh is the right number, the right amount to deal with the day-to-day protection of our community,” says McNamara.
One of the concerns for McNamara is how the town will be covered should officers need to respond to an emergency in a neighbouring municipality.
“If another community has a bank robbery or a hostage thing or another Bonduelle-type situation, God forbid, send the officers there deal with it.”
McNamara is hopeful in the event that happened, there would still be enough officers to police the town and address any issues residents may have.
About 30 officers report to the Tecumseh detachment.
The town's contract with OPP will end mid-2020.
