Heading into the new year, Chatham-Kent’s chief of police is hoping to put more boots on the ground to address several ongoing crises within the community.
Chief Gary Conn said as the Chatham-Kent Police Service (CKPS) enters 2022, his officers are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid epidemic, the aftermath of the gas explosion in Wheatley, and a staffing crisis within the police service.
“It’s getting a little more challenging to attract people to our profession and we’re also having people who are having injuries, and I’m not just referring to physical injuries, but mental health injuries. For example, in that regard, we have 12 [CKPS] members who have been diagnosed, and are off right now, with PTSD,” said Conn.
The chief said he’s hopeful the staffing issues can be addressed in the upcoming municipal budget in the new year. However, additional funding from the provincial government will also help to pay for policing initiatives within Chatham-Kent.
“Obviously we want to get back to the grassroots of policing and that’s community-based policing. But with that, requires more bodies,” he said. “With that said, we have implemented specialty units that do get more boots on the ground, for example, our bike patrol unit. We’re hoping to expand our community mobilization unit by another officer as well.”
The provincial government will also be providing additional funding for the CKPS mobile crisis team. Conn said once that funding is received, they will be expanding the team.
“Right now, we have one officer who is teamed with a psychiatric crisis nurse but for next year, we will be doubling that,” he said, adding that this will expand the unit’s exposure and availability within the community.
Mental health calls for police officers are wide-ranging and can involve individuals suffering from addiction, homelessness, and poverty.
