Ontario police chiefs meet in Chatham-Kent
Police leaders from around the province are gathering in Chatham-Kent over the next couple days, reviewing provincial safety issues.
At the top of the list is maintaining a high level of police service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have to ensure we provide adequate and effective policing, that’s number one,” says Gary Conn, CKPS police chief and president of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
“So we want to keep our services at least at that minimum but we’re always wanting to enhance and increase the level of the services.”
Conn says mental health for officers and the public is also a top priority.
“I know locally here that we have seen our numbers increase and I think that is the trend right across the province, that more people are suffering from mental health,” he says.
Chatham-Kent Police Service will be expanding its mobile crisis team as a result.
OACP board members will also take the next couple days to review provincial public safety matters, such as guns and gangs.
“Not just the parties involved but other pressing issues such as exportation, importation, get to the root cause of these offences,” says Conn.
The implementation of body worn cameras to mid-size police forces like Chatham-Kent will be up for discussion as well.
“We will run a three to six-month pilot project in regards to body warn cameras with eventual rollout to all of our frontline workers by hopefully the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2023,” he says.
Lawyer and former police officer Dan Scott believes the added piece of technology will protect both officers and the public.
“It’s a sign of the times and it’s just another necessary tool on their belt,” Scott says.
Other items on the two-day agenda include overcoming systemic racism in law enforcement.
“In 2022, we have a pretty fulsome work plan right across the province to make some systemic changes,” says Nishan Duraiappah, first Vice President of OACP.
A step in the right direction, according to University of Windsor professor, Natalie Delia Deckard.
“This is really important work that they’re doing and it’s something we can collectively take pride in,” Decakrd tells CTV News.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.