Local authorities are reminding residents that if you see something suspicious in the community, call police.
Officials with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent say roughly $500 in damage was done at Memorial Park in Tilbury last month, including graffiti and damage to the pickleball court. However at the time, the incident was not reported to police.
Lynette Rosina, the Chatham-Kent Police Service Community Mobilization Supervisor, says officers need to have a paper trail to follow when conducting an investigation.
“We, as a medium sized service in Ontario, are very limited with our resources,” Rosina explains. “We deploy our resources based on our statistics, we are very data driven. The quicker someone can report something, the better we can deploy our resources.”
Rosina says officers need to be able to collect evidence, interview potential witnesses, and check any surveillance cameras in the area.
“If you see something, report it, even if you think it’s insignificant, it’s still police information. Hopefully, for the most part, it’s nothing, but in cases like vandalism, the quicker that people can inform us and let us know, the quicker we can investigate and collect the best evidence possible.”
In cases that may seem minor, including vandalism or small thefts, Rosina says police can use that information to potentially link other ongoing investigations.
Anyone who sees something that may require police attention is urged to call the Chatham-Kent Police Service non-emergency number at 519-352-1234. If something requires more urgent attention, call 9-1-1.
