The North Bay Police Service revealed that they submitted 43 Use of Force reports to the Ministry of the Solicitor General in 2024.
The report was one of the items on the agenda for the North Bay Police Service's February monthly meeting held Tuesday morning at Police Headquarters.
"Anytime any of our members use any kind of force, whether that's displaying a firearm, using a firearm, impact weapons, even hands-on physically taking possession of somebody, they have to submit a report where there's an injury involved," explained Daryl Longworth, North Bay's police chief.
"We submitted 43 use of force reports to the Ministry as prescribed by the Act in 2024. That's a little bit higher than 2023 and 2022, however, when you look at a 7-year average, 43 is in keeping with some of the other years where there was significantly higher than 43."
Longworth also went into detail on some of the situations the officers have dealt with so board members could understand what is behind the Use of Force.
"In 2024 and reviewing the reports that we observed, they were responding in some cases to people with firearms, but also with knives. An officer was attempted to be assaulted by a two-by-four, a weapon of opportunity; people threatened to sick their dogs on the officers, and on one occasion our officer was bitten."
Longworth admits Use of Force is rare but does happen in a community this size.
"Some people just don't want to comply with what we're trying to get them to do for the interests of community safety," explains Longworth. However, Longworth says there is a message that goes along with his report.
"I think the biggest message in reviewing the incidents is that every time one of our officers uses force, they were dealing with an actively resistant person or a weapon was displayed or was perceived to be displayed. and they acted correctly," noted Longworth.
Longworth says only 43 use-of-force incidents is a good number considering they have more than 30,000 interactions with the public each year.
"They acted within the realms of what they're allowed to do. and they acted very appropriately and used common sense in a lot of those cases."
Longworth notes that communicating with the individual or individuals is key. "In a lot of those cases, even though a weapon we may have to display - maybe be a taser - to gain compliance, at the same time, our officers are constantly talking and verbalizing and trying to gain compliance verbally," he noted.
"That's always the first l line of defence is talking, talking, talking before we elevate something else. Unfortunately, there are times when we don't have time to talk because things happen so quickly."
Longworth notes they offer counselling and support for any officers who are dealing with a traumatic type of incident that could be connected to the Use of Force.
"It fits right in there with some of the other dramatic events they see," said Longworth.
"Anytime our officers have to use force is something they don't want to do, but they may have to do."
Longworth noted that all the discharges of weapons in 2024 involved euthanizing animals that had to be put down for various reasons of humanity.
