by Sylene Argent
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy is asking residents about their priorities regarding policing.
Recently, she made a social media post on the matter, and is collecting that data to submit the results to the Essex Police Services Board.
Residents can reach out to her before the June meeting to have their concerns included.
The Board, she said, is putting together a list of three to five priorities for this Term of Council.
“We want to let the Police Services Board know what is important to you,” Bondy said, noting some of the top concerns she had heard so far includes speeding in residential areas, property damage, and loud mufflers, for instance.
“Now is the time to voice your concerns,” she said. “I am going to bring them forward.”
Those with ideas can email essexPSB@essex.ca.
Speeding is a top complaint Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy hears, especially now as she doubles as the Chairperson of the Essex Police Services Board.
With construction season started, including on Talbot Street for the Essex Centre Streetscape, she is urging residents to inform the OPP about problem areas regarding speeding, so officers can target those areas. Concerns can be forwarded to the non-emergency OPP line, 1 888 310-1122.
“A lot of neighbours are speeding on neighbours,” Bondy said. “We want a community where people feel safe.”
She urges everyone, before they leave the house, to plan their day, give themselves plenty of time to get where they need to be, and go the speed limit.
Speeding was a topic brought up at the recent May Essex Police Services Board meeting. In addition, members went over the statistics for the month of March.
In March, there were 366 calls into the OPP from within Essex, which was lower than the 399 recorded in the same month in 2022 and 448 recorded in 2021. Essex had the lowest number of calls for service of local OPP police areas, with Kingsville having 407, Tecumseh having 429, Lakeshore having 688, and Leamington having 878. There were also 256 calls put into the Provincial Unit.
In Essex, Top Calls for Services includes: 48 property checks, 21 motor vehicle collisions, 21 traffic enforcement instances, 19 community service calls, 17 emergency misdials, 15 traffic complaints, 15 suspicious person calls, 14 false alarms, 12 property-related instances, and 12 well-being checks.
Violent crime calls were up slightly in Essex in March, with 11 instances. There were seven in the same month last year and nine in 2021. Essex had the lowest violent crime calls compared to neighbouring OPP policed communities, with Leamington having the most with 20, followed by Kingsville with 17.
In all area OPP policed communities, there was a 10.4% increase in violent crime in March 2023, compared to March 2022. There was a clearance rate of 76.1%.
Of the 214 property crime instances throughout area OPP policed communities in March, Essex had the lowest, with 24. Leamington had the most with 73, followed by Lakeshore with 51, Kingsville with 34, and Tecumseh with 30. The Provincial Unit also dealt with two instances. The clearance rate was 16.4%.
In March, Essex had 23 motor vehicle collision instances, which was higher than the 17 recorded in the same month last year and 13 in 2021.
There was a 35.7% decrease in impaired/over 80 offences in March 2023, compared to March 2022. Essex had no such instances.
In all local OPP policed communities, there were 13 driver’s licence suspensions in March, none of which were in Essex.
Essex had the lowest number of Criminal Code/YCJA Charges in March compared to local OPP policed communities, with 29 of the 295 instances recorded. Leamington had the most with 74, Lakeshore had 54, Tecumseh 49, Kingsville 42, and the Provincial Unit dealt with 47. This accounts for a 41.1% increase in Criminal Code Charges in March 2023 compared to March 2022, information to the Essex Police Services Board notes.
Of the 17 drug offences recorded in March of the locally OPP policed communities, Essex had one Cannabis Control Act and one CDSA instance. Overall, with all local OPP policed communities, there was a 60.5% decrease in drug offences in March 2023 compared to March 2022.
There were 611 POA Charges in locally OPP policed communities in March. Essex obtained 36 of them. Lakeshore had the highest with 144. Tecumseh followed with 115.
In March 152 traffic stops were made in Essex. 36 tickets were issued, along with 69 warnings.
There were also 13 mental health calls from Essex.