The Chatham-Kent Police Service is set to receive over $1 million from the Ontario government to help prevent repeat and violent offenders from committing serious crimes while out on bail.
The province is investing $24 million over three years into 30 police services as part of its Bail Compliance and Warrant Apprehension (BCWA) Grant program.
The funds will be used by police agencies to help establish dedicated bail compliance and/or warrant apprehension teams to monitor high-risk individuals. It will also be used to support new technology for a provincewide bail compliance monitoring system.
“It is unacceptable that repeat and violent offenders are committing serious crimes while out on bail,” said Solicitor General Michael Kerzner in a news release. “By giving police the tools they need to track and arrest offenders who violate their bail conditions, our government is helping to ensure Ontario is one of the safest jurisdictions in Canada.”
Of the province’s investment, the Chatham-Kent Police Service will receive $1.2 million. The Elgin OPP detachment, which also serves the municipality of Chatham-Kent, will receive $300,000.
The BCWA Grant program is part of a $112 million investment to strengthen the province’s bail system and ensure high-risk and repeat violent offenders comply with their bail conditions. Other measures include the creation of a Bail Compliance Unit within the OPP’s Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad, the establishment of Intensive Serious Violent Crime Bail Teams within the court system, and a new province-wide bail compliance dashboard to help monitor high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible.
The grant program will support 17 municipal police services, four First Nations police services, and 12 OPP detachments.
