Local OPP report drop in violent crime during pandemic

The Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) /Collingwood Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment reports responding to 131 COVID-related calls from April to the end of June.

“These occurrences included people not practising social distancing, gathering in groups greater than allowed, and trespassing,” said Inspector Mary Shannon, detachment commander of Collingwood/TBM OPP.

“We have not laid any charges under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, as most people we encountered were educated in regards to the regulations and offered immediate compliance,” she explained.

Shannon recently provided the TBM Police Services Board with an overview of COVID-related incidents in the municipality since the onset of the pandemic.

“We have done 108 hours of dedicated ATV patrol and 16 hours of bicycle patrol within the TBM alone. That has really had a positive impact on the community,” she said.

From April until the end of June, the local detachment saw a 20 per cent drop in violent crimes in the region. However, the frequency of calls related to domestic disputes and property damage did increase.

“With people being isolated for an extensive period of time, we are seeing more calls for domestics,” she said.

Shannon credits TBM for its proactive approach in hiring additional bylaw staff to help in managing COVID-related incidents and says that it has cut back on the involvement required by OPP.

“The additional [bylaw] officers will really minimize the calls for service that are coming into police. Bylaw is a better approach for some of these calls. So, we probably are not seeing the spike for calls that we would have seen if it hadn’t been for that increase in staffing for bylaw,” she says.

At the beginning of June, the local detachment also saw the addition of Constable Jamie Pyatt, through a contract enhancement position.

Pyatt has assumed the role of traffic management officer, specifically for the TBM.

“Jaymie has always worked in TBM and has a good understanding of problematic areas within the municipality and he can really direct his focus to areas that require attention. He is a great fit and I think the town will see a lot of value in having Jaymie here,” Shannon said.

In his first month of patrol, Shannon reported that Pyatt laid 161 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, which had an accumulated fine value of $31,371.

As the region continues to move into the COVID-recovery stage, Shannon says the detachment is again seeing a shift in the kinds of calls it is receiving.

“Much like the general population and other police services, we are starting to see an incline in our calls for service for the mental health response unit,” she said.