Sarnia police had a busy 2023, according to the local service’s newly released annual report.
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The summary says there were more than 36,800 dispatched calls for service during the year, compared to 31,600 calls for service in 2022, when total calls were also up 10 per cent from 2021.
The service saw a 146 per cent spike in drug-related calls in 2023, and significantly more trespassing, theft and fraud calls, the report says.
The nature of those calls can change when officers respond “but, in this case, we are seeing the general trend of an increase in demand on police,” Chief Derek Davis said.
Arrests and charges so far in 2024 are up about 16 per hundred year over year, he said.
“That’s beyond just a fluctuation,” he said. “That’s a significant number.”
Generally calls for service decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but the general increase in calls now is beyond the volume seen in 2019, he said.
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Police made more than 3,240 arrests and laid 7,500 charges in 2023, the report says.
The service’s 2022 annual report says there were 8,312 charges laid under various acts that year, and 724 arrests.
There were 42 professional standards complaints in 2023, the most recent report says, half of which came from the public and the rest initiated by Davis.
About 38 per cent, or 16, ended up being substantiated.
Davis, who arrived in Sarnia in 2022, said he’s not sure how many complaints are typical in a year.
“What I can tell you is our philosophy here is if there is a concern, then we investigate the concern,” he said.
Complaints can be related to policies and performance, he said.
The report notes the total complaint rate per call for service was 0.0006 per cent.
Police also received an award from police records management system Niche RMS for cleaning up the property room, going through “tens of thousands of items” and bringing the room into compliance, he said.
“Items were reviewed and properly disposed of or properly put back where they go,” he said.
The service also spent the last 18 months digitizing records, he said, freeing up more space in the police station.
“We’re doing the most we can of what we’ve got at every opportunity,” Davis said.
The annual report is available at sarniapolice.ca.
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