By the numbers, or, really, any other measure, 2024 was a successful year for Prince Edward County’s police force.

Outgoing OPP Staff Sergeant John Hatch gave his final Detachment Commander’s report to Council April 8. The crime and safety trends, detachment morale, and series of new initiatives he has launched all indicate Mr. Hatch is leaving his post on a high note.

Precipitously or otherwise, instances of both violent and property crimes are down. Prince Edward County has had just one murder in the last seven years and mischief (at 53 cases) and break-and-enters (at 20 cases) are at or near seven-year lows. Fatality and Personal Injury stemming from motor vehicle collisions were among the lowest in the East Region over the last two years.

Impaired driving across the East Region is up and that’s more than evident in Prince Edward County. Fraud is of increasingly serious concern here as elsewhere. Mr. Hatch said outreach to seniors and vulnerable members of the community continues through the County’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan.

Key Priorities

The County’s Community Safety Plan is a provincial gold standard in addressing priority areas of concern. Among them are mental health and substance abuse as well as domestic violence and intimate partner violence.

On the mental health side, the OPP’s Integrated Mobile Police And Co-response Team (IMPACT), established in 2022, answered 171 calls last year. These calls come from someone in a full mental health crisis. The response from the OPP involves a mental health professional and action to help the person get the medical assistance they require.

Another local policing success over the last decade was the establishment of a Detachment Abuse Issues Investigator. Part of a provincial directive, the detachment has a dedicated Detective Constable assigned to oversee every single domestic violence call and ensure every matter gets close attention.

“We now have the resources to examine every one of these calls and provide the proper support to every single victim,” Staff Sergeant Hatch said.

“One time is too many”

In 2023, Mayor Ferguson declared Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic in Prince Edward County. Last year’s 222 calls for service make clear nothing has changed.

“That’s four a week when one time is too many. Now because of our DAII program, I’m confident the primary aggressors are going to be charged appropriately and accordingly. Victims are going to get the support they need,” said the Staff Sergeant.

Finally, after over 11,000 traffic stops and many thousand public interactions, Prince Edward OPP didn’t see one complaint from the public in 2024, a point of pride for Mr. Hatch and the entire detachment.

“Crime is down and our highways are among the safest in the province. The community is supportive of our increased public presence and our front line officers are engaged,” he said.

He noted 87 percent of the detachment workforce is on active duty and that number could be as high as 93 percent later this summer.

“That rate for a detachment is almost unheard of. It’s is a sign of good morale,” he added.

 The Staff Sergeant closed with his motto “Safety never sleeps in Prince Edward County.”

Councillor Roy Pennell lauded the Detachment Commander for creating an atmosphere of respect for OPP officers in the community. Councillor Bill Roberts said Staff Sergeant Hatch set a platinum standard during his time leading the OPP in Prince Edward County and added that the police service has earned and deserved robust public support thanks to his efforts.