North Bay Police Chief Daryl Longworth is pleased with some statistics he believes indicate the service is doing a better job managing traffic offences and putting foot patrols to good use.
Longworth, who highlighted the statistics during Wednesday's monthly police board meeting, says the number of traffic stops has increased by 42 per cent compared to 2023. He added that the number of number of highway traffic offences increased nearly 64 per cent in comparison as well. He noted the hiring of a full-time traffic officer has helped enhance their traffic enforcement.
"The biggest thing that I touched on the meeting that you referencing is the number of foot patrol initiatives, the number of proactive initiatives has risen by 142 per cent year over year and that's fantastic," said Longworth.
"It demonstrates to me and it shows with me they are doing what I have asked them to do. They're getting out there.
"These are not calls that people have called us who responding to. These are incidents that the officers are generated. They're getting out of their car."
Longworth believes it's an indication the officers are doing the work that needs to get done.
"That is what the community wants to see," he insisted.
Longworth shared an example of an arrest which was caused by an officer using initiative.
"There was an arrest a couple of months ago of somebody wanted on a Canada wide warrant just because somebody got out of their car, went on a foot patrol, saw something unusual, followed up on it, and boom, we've arrested somebody that somebody's been looking for, the ROPE squad has been looking for for a long time," said Longworth.
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