Top calls to the OPP were for by-law and traffic complaints in September

by Sylene Argent

During the Essex Police Services Board (EPSB) meeting last Thursday afternoon, members of its Board of Directors learned the top calls to the OPP from within the Town of Essex during the month of September were regarding by-law complaints and issues, with 33 calls. The second top call for service was for traffic complaints, with 32.  

Traffic complaint calls were a top three complaint in all area OPP policed municipalities in September, with Lakeshore having 64, Kingsville having 35, Tecumseh having 35, and the Provincial Unit having 97.

  Other top calls to the OPP from within Essex in September included 26 for motor vehicle collisions, 23 for alarms, 19 for mental health, 18 for suspicious persons, 16 well-being checks, 16 neighbour disputes, 14 property-related calls, and 13 domestic calls.

Domestic calls were the top call for service from within Essex in August, at 26.

  Overall, 519 calls were put into the OPP from Essex in September, which was slightly higher than the 492 calls placed in August. In September 2020, 457 calls were placed, while there were 607 during this month in 2019.

  In other area OPP policed municipalities, 901 calls sought police assistance from Lakeshore, 547 from Kingsville, 529 from Tecumseh, and 267 were put into the Provincial Unit.

  Others calls into the OPP from within Essex during the month of September include:

• Nine for violent crime, which was comparable to the 10 put in that month in 2020 and 14 in 2019.

• 21 property crimes, which was similar to the 22 in September of 2020 and lower than the 31 put in that month in 2019.

• There were 26 motor vehicle collisions in Essex in September. This is higher than the 15 motor vehicle collisions recorded in Essex in September of 2020 and the 20 in 2019.

• There were no impaired and exceed offences in Essex in September. In area OPP policed municipalities, there has been a 50 percent decrease in Impaired/Exceed offences in September 2021 compared to September 2020. There were also no driver’s license suspensions in Essex.

• There were 13 Criminal Code/YCJA Charges, which was similar to the 15 in September 2020 in Essex and 14 in 2019. Conversely, in September, there were 29 of these charges in Lakeshore, 11 in Kingsville, 27 in Tecumseh, and 25 through the Provincial Unit.

• There were no drug offences in Essex in September.

• POA Charges in Essex in September were significantly lower, with 37, than the 63 put in the same month in 2020. There were 28 in 2019. Essex’s POA Charges were also significantly lower than the 115 put in through the Provincial Unit, 106 in Tecumseh, and 90 in Lakeshore. There were 51 in Kingsville.

• 44 traffic stops were conducted in Essex in September, which was significantly lower than the 132 recorded in the same month in 2020, but more comparable to the 58 in 2019. The Provincial Unit conducted 141 traffic stops, while 93 were conducted in Lakeshore, 85 in Tecumseh, and 60 in Kingsville.

• There were 18 mental health responses in Essex in September, while there were 12 in the same month in 2020 and 7 in 2019. There were also 26 mental health calls put into the OPP from Lakeshore, 21 from Kingsville, and 17 from Tecumseh.

•  Overall, three RIDE programs took place in Essex, in addition to the 103 foot patrol and one Bike/ATV hours that were logged.

  With the holiday season just around the corner, EPSB Chairperson, Essex Councillor Kim Verbeek, reiterated the importance for people to call the police if they suspect an impaired driver is on a roadway. This is helpful in keeping roadways safe for everyone, she said.