Consider This (https://consider-this.ca/tag/police/)
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Calls for service are down. Foot patrols are also down. Vehicle patrols are also down. Cannabis charges are up. Violent crimes, such as assaults, are up by 80 percent. Continue Reading →
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Earlier this week, Cobourg Police Chief Paul VandeGraaf presented his annual report for the past year to town council. Many statistics were up. The number of calls, crime rate, reported crimes, mental health calls, drug poisonings, overdoses, break, and enters all increased. The number of complaints against police was down, as were the times when officers used force. But things have changed in other ways. Continue Reading →
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On March 1, Port Hope got a new police chief. Tim Farquharson arrived from Peterborough, where he has spent 36 years in policing. In this interview, the chief will talk about his career as a young constable in Lakefield until he stepped down as deputy chief for the Peterborough Police. You will listen to his thoughts on the budget and other initiatives. Plus, he will give his plans for his first 100 days. Continue Reading →
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A strongly worded letter from the Cobourg Police Services Board chair Ron Kerr was sent to the town council. It chided Mayor Lucas Cleveland and Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander for misleading the public regarding a county-wide police study. The county approved $75,000 to update a 2007 study for a Northumberland police force. In today’s interview, Ron Kerr will explain the letter’s purpose and why he thinks both mayors were out of line. For him and the police board, the answer was simple: ask us. Continue Reading →
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Ths show:
The full interview with bonus material
This past week, Cobourg council passed its 2023 budget. The only person to vote against it was Mayor Lucas Cleveland. In this interview, you are going to hear Cleveland explain his opposition. There were some tense moments during the meeting, and several important things happened. He will talk about the debate, his statement on policing, the library, and his position on homelessness. Continue Reading →
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When municipal budgets get tight, politicians look for savings. One of their favourite targets is policing. This is due to the enormous costs associated with providing this service. Most of the items in a police budget are fixed and are hard to cut. For decades, efforts to cut costs by amalgamating local police were undertaken. Continue Reading →
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Inflation is hovering around seven or eight percent. The cost of gas is through the roof. If you want to buy something, you are going to pay more. It is no different for the Cobourg police or any police force for that matter. As we go into November, it is budget time. Continue Reading →
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It was a beautiful Sunday morning just over a year ago. Sgt. Janice MacDonald of the Cobourg Police was sitting in her cruiser in a parking lot on Strathy Road. On a small patch of grass, she saw a homeless woman sleeping. It broke her heart. Continue Reading →
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The number of calls for service for the Cobourg police was down this past year. That is the third year in a row. Yet, the number of incidents related to illegal drugs, like fentanyl, cocaine, and crystal meth, was up. Violent crimes, like people using weapons during an assault, were also up. Cobourg Police Chief Paul Vandegraff will discuss these stats and more this week. Continue Reading →
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Dean Pepper was recently returned as the Cobourg Police Services Board chairperson. That may not seem like big news. Yet, Pepper has served on various boards and committees overseeing policing for more than 30 years. That is a long time. He was on the Protection Services Committee back in the 1980s and 1990s when he was a member of the Cobourg council. Continue Reading →
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