Police chief wants increased police presence as opioid crisis worsens
Substance abuse in Barrie will be at the centre of discussion at the next Barrie Police Service Board meeting later this month.
The City's Police chief is looking to address safety concerns by increasing the police presence on public streets, following the most recent community safety survey results.
"We've heard the ask; we're reallocating current resources to better address those situations downtown," said Chief Rich Johnston.
Community safety survey results indicating just over 41 per cent of respondents identified substance abuse as their primary concern in Barrie through 2023.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
That's an increase from nearly 27 per cent the year prior and around 22 per cent in 2021.
The Chief acknowledged substance abuse, in particular, is a health issue, but when asked if more police meant more arrests or just more of a visual presence, he argued it was "a bit of both."
"What we do know, though, is that more police presence can actually cause a reduction in crime; it's a deterrence effect', said Johnston.
At the Gilbert Centre, former city councillor and harm reduction worker Keenan Aylwin said Barrie police and its board should rethink their strategy.
"I think it's important that we distinguish between people being uncomfortable and people being unsafe, the evidence is clear that we need to treat drug use as a health issue, not a criminal issue, and that's actually going to save taxpayers in the long run," said Aylwin.
The city's deputy mayor agreed it is a health crisis but disagreed that an increased police presence wouldn't make city streets safer.
"Being marginalized or vulnerable doesn't mean you're going to have an interaction with police; it's when you do something wrong when somebody has an incident happen to them, no matter how small or how big it is, you can't take away their emotion," said Thomson.
Johnston couldn't reveal much about the plan, which will be revealed at the next police board meeting on May 23.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
Man stabbed in both legs with a machete in Times Square
A man was stabbed in both legs with a machete at New York's Times Square on Thursday afternoon, police said.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Melanie Joly 'forward-leaning' in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is suggesting Canada would support a policy of allowing Ukraine to use NATO-provided arms inside Russia.
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Fast-paced, highflying SailGP blows into Halifax for weekend competition
Ten countries, including Canada, each with teams of six sailors, are battling head-to-head on Halifax Harbour this weekend for the Canadian debut of SailGP (Grand Prix).