Foot patrol a priority with new police chief

North Bay's Police Chief is following in the footsteps of other North Bay police chiefs in endorsing the use of foot patrols in North Bay. 

"I think it is very valuable, people want to see the officers engaged in very visible presence in their community," stated Daryl Longworth, North Bay's police chief who took over from Scott Tod in March of 2024.  

The service has been promoting the use of bike patrols and foot patrols within the city. Longworth believes patrolling neighbourhoods includes stopping, talking and engaging with the community. 

"It is good intelligence gathering for us because when we talk to people in the community we gather intelligence of what is actually going on in the community, things that people would not pick up the phone to call us on but if they talk to an officer they may engage in that," said Longworth. 

See related: Police Chief insists North Bay is safe after last week's shooting

Longworth says foot patrols can create a perception of safety. 

"If they see a police officer or if they see a police car not only does it affect the perception of safety but we have seen research that shows just the presence of a police car for a 15-minute period can have an impact on crime in that area for two to three hours after that," said Longworth. 

For instance, Longworth says NBPS utilized foot patrols in the Birchaven neighbourhood where a late-night shooting took place at a schoolyard in mid-June.