Duane Hicks
Town council may reconsider the option it had chosen for a new OPP contract, and take a look at more information regarding how it might impact police services here.
Back on Dec. 20, council had decided on a new five-year contract with the Fort Frances OPP, choosing the second of two options which would see the reduction of two constables on the local force, dropping the total number of constables from 18 to 16.
But a presentation yesterday by OPP Insp. John Kendrick and A/Insp. Steve Shouldice outlined the difference between remaining status quo with staffing levels and reducing them by two.
This got a few members of council to remark that maybe they should revisit their initial decision and discuss it further.
“We have to remember that of utmost importance to us is the safety of our community, and also the safety of the people that are policing it,” Mayor Roy Avis said after yesterday’s meeting, which also was attended by the local Police Services Board.
“We have to get a number, a complement, that will do that and so, yes, there could be a possibility that council does revisit this,” he added.
But money also is a consideration, the mayor noted.
“There’s two things,” he said. “Number-one is the policing, and number-two is the money, and they run parallel.
“What can we afford as a municipality?
“I think council has to sit down and make a proper decision,” he added.
Mayor Avis noted that to remain status quo, it will cost the town $200,000 more than if they go ahead with option two.
In his report, Insp. Kendrick outlined how the deployment model and service delivery works, how much of the municipal policing contact is paid for through various funding sources, and how there are many OPP officers that assist the town at no additional cost to the contract.
He also explained how a reduction to 16 constables will impact service, including:
•there will be one patrol officer on days, two on nights, instead of the current two on days and two on nights (when operational requirements within the district exceed the availability of on-duty officers, there will be times when Fort Frances will not have an officer in town);
•this could result in the creation of some two-officer response issues and an expected increase in overtime;
•response times will increase;
•there will be a move from personal response to differential response (e.g., the public can call a phone number to report certain types of incidents, but an officer does not necessarily attend the call);
•reactive responses to calls for services will take a priority over proactive responses;
•hours associated to proactive assignments, such as community services, Community Drug Action Team, and administration, will be reduced;
•there will be a reduction in the provincial component of OPP service (such as marine patrols, ATV, and traffic enforcement);
•non-essential community policing measures (i.e., grant applications, committee/task force representation, etc.) will be reduced;
•proactive educational community services across the district could be reduced (i.e., D.A.R.E., Safe Communities, Substance Abuse Prevention, etc.); and
•the number of hours associated to the supervision and administration of the contract will be reduced, potentially leading to more overtime.
In response to a common comment that “there are too many police officers in town,” Insp. Kendrick clarified that other officers observed in town often are provincially-assigned officers (not being paid for by the town) going to court, escorting prisoners to jail, coming into town for operational purchases, or are, in fact, Treaty #3 Police officers.
Police staffing currently is divided into four platoons of four constables, plus a court officer and crime support.
But as a general rule, half of a platoon is absent on vacation, mandatory training, etc. at any given time.
Constables normally work 12-hour shifts on a four days on, four days off schedule.
Council will vote at its next meeting on Monday (March 28) whether to revisit the matter.
If a majority of council agrees to do so, discussion as to whether to go for option one or two will be re-opened.
The new contract, which is up for renewal this June, has not been finalized as the town still has to receive a final proposal from the OPP and pass it as a bylaw.
