Detachment statistics in keeping with other years

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Judy Backus

EMC News -Marmora - Central Hastings OPP Detachment Staff Sergeant Peter Valiquette attended the January 25 Community Policing Advisory Committee meeting for the first time in a while, having returned to Madoc OPP from seven months at Quinte West where he was the Acting Detachment Commander.

During the meeting, Valiquette brought up several points for consideration by the representatives of the five municipalities within the detachment area.

One related to a request for the committee to pay for the reframing of seven large panels containing shoulder flashes from police services around the world. The collection was donated by retired OPP officer Mike Brennan, and as Valiquette commented, "It will be a great addition to the detachment for years." Committee members voted to support the request, approving an expenditure of $1,243 which includes new oak frames, anti glare glass and velvet mat backings for each of the panels.

When it came to discussion of the 2011 statistics for the detachment, Valiquette noted that, for the most part, they were in keeping with previous years. He did express concern regarding the four fatalities related to three traffic accidents, saying some of them were caused by such things as distracted driving, speeding or not using a seat belt. The total number of accidents investigated during the course of the year amounted to 352, a figure which Valiquette indicated was down somewhat from the norm.

In response to a question regarding foot patrol hours, Valiquette told the committee that they were fairly evenly spaced between Marmora, Madoc and Tweed, with the Madoc hours including time spent at the secondary school. He asked that if there were concerns relating to any municipally owned facility or area, that he be notified.

Additional statistics provided in the package, indicated that overall calls for service were up from 6,117 in 2009, to 7,434 last year. He did mention that the detachment responds to all calls, including accidental "911 pocket calls" which happen on a "fairly regular

basis." He reminded all to "lock it before you pocket."

One of Valiquette's goals is to make himself more available to community members, with plans in place to spend a set amount of time at specific locations within the municipalities, where he will be available to discuss concerns with members of the public, the business sector, or otherwise.

A portion of the meeting was spent reviewing the results of the 2010 Community Satisfaction Survey of 380 people conducted within the Central Hastings Detachment by a research company and directed at those who were at least 16 years old, "where no member of the household

was employed by the OPP." Questions involved such things as the feeling of safety within the communities, the perceived involvement of the OPP, the OPP's ability "to work with communities to solve local problems," their visibility within the communities and on the highways, community issues and related problems, ease of contacting the police, and their effectiveness.

A chart of the overall satisfaction levels indicated that 96.6 per cent of respondents, "were very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of police service provided by the OPP." As well, 95 per cent felt OPP officers within the communities were both approachable and friendly.