Cobourg Police and bylaw stepping up enforcement to restore order downtown

Cobourg Police and municipal bylaw services are partnering to improve public spaces.

Police Chief Chris Leather unveiled his multi-pronged strategy Tuesday, calling for a coordinated effort with law enforcement, social service providers, and justice officials to help solve these problems.

The initiative aims to address social disorder, low-level crime, and nuisance complaints downtown and in parks, in an attempt to restore order in Cobourg.

The police service conducted an operational review that found five prolific offenders accounted for 919 calls for service in 2025, or five percent of all calls, Leather explained.

Officers spent 815 hours of direct policing interacting with these individuals. Yet of all this work, only 52 charges were laid.

Leather said the first phase will be about enforcement.

“It’s about restoring order. It’s about balancing support with accountability, and it’s about addressing repeat harm more effectively,” he said.

An Aug. 13 incident was cited as an example. Targeted enforcement was deployed in the downtown core in response to concerns related to open-air drug use, possession and trafficking. Nine adults were arrested, with Schedule 1 substances seized. Among the multiple charges laid were failing to comply with probation and prohibited activity on the premises.

Leather said police are trying to understand individuals’ behaviour patterns to determine their response, adding not all interactions indicate criminal activity.

Police must decide whether to enforce municipal ordinances or criminal code violations or whether the individual needs to be directed to social services to address mental health and addictions issues.

“Police are not the solution,” he said, emphasizing that the enforcement actions taken are focused on behaviour, not status in the community.

Most of the calls for service are for unwanted people.

Cobourg’s Director of Legislative Services Brent Larmer presented bylaw call statistics for this year, suggesting public intoxication, nuisance, noise, and other low-level offenses are concentrated in Victoria Park, downtown, and the Ecology Garden.

Larmer explained that bylaw and Cobourg police are in lockstep in enforcement activities.

Most of these arrests result in the person charged being released on bail. However, officials suggest repeated documented charges may lead to bail being denied for prolific offenders.

In the coming months, Leather is looking to establish communication and consultation with other community stakeholders to move ahead with other phases of his strategy.

With files from Cecilia Nasmith.