Police face new priorities as York Region changes

YorkRegion.com
Feb. 21, 2015
Lisa Queen

When York Regional Police Chief Eric Jolliffe presented the police department’s budget to regional council this month, several politicians were surprised by the changing face of the force’s workload.

For example, only 20 per cent of the calls the police take are criminal in nature.

The other 80 per cent deal with missing persons, mental health challenges, sudden deaths, community engagement and community events.

Police are investigating more homicides, human trafficking, child pornography, assaults, hate crimes, suicides, missing persons, natural sudden deaths, mental health issues and traffic enforcement cases, Jolliffe said.

On the other hand, attempted murders, sexual violations, frauds, robberies, break and enters and reportable collisions were down in 2014, he said.

The police receive 230,000 911 calls a year and an additional 380,000 non-emergency calls.

Officers issue 118,000 traffic tickets and another 35,000 cautions to drivers.

The region’s changing demographics, including the aging population, the diversification of cultures and languages and the widening income gap, are  contributing to a change in the department’s connection with the community, Jolliffe said.

Police are focused on different types of criminal and non-criminal activities, engaging with communities, encouraging different communities to report crime, reflecting communities, providing officer training and fostering partnerships and public trust, Jolliffe said.