To help prevent repeat and violent offenders from committing serious crimes while out on lease, the province is providing $1.2 million over three years to Chatham-Kent police.
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Through the lease compliance and warrant apprehension (BCWA) grant program, the government is investing $24 million provincewide to set up dedicated compliance and warrant apprehension teams to monitor high-risk individuals.
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This funding will also support new technology for a province-wide lease compliance monitoring system.
“It is unacceptable for violent offenders to commit serious crimes while out on bail,” Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said in a release.
“Our government strives to provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to track and apprehend those who violate their lease conditions, contributing to making Ontario one of the safest jurisdictions in Canada.”
The announcement is part of a $112-million effort to strengthen Ontario’s lease system and ensure repeat and violent offenders comply with lease and court-ordered conditions.
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Other initiatives include:
- Creating a lease compliance unit within the OPP’s repeat offender parole enforcement (ROPE) squad.
- Establishing intensive serious violent crime bail teams within the court system.
- Setting up a provincewide lease compliance dashboard to help monitor high-risk offenders with the most accurate data possible.
“This funding will allow us to provide additional staff who will have the time, training and resources to adequately educate, support and ultimately enforce lease conditions on persons who pose the highest risk of committing further criminal acts and pose a substantial risk to public safety, ”Chief Gary Conn said in the release.
It will also further assist vulnerable community members and prevent revictimization, he added.
“Clearly, the provincial government takes our issues seriously with increased training and grant funding, that ultimately correlates back to enhancing community safety and well-being,” he said.
The BCWA grant program will support 17 municipal police services, four First Nations police services and 12 OPP services.
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