A proposal to disband the Wingham Police Service and let the Ontario Provincial Police patrol the town has many residents concerned.
Wingham residents attended two public information sessions Wednesday, geared towards helping councillors make an informed decision to keep their local police force or not.
Despite many public comments, not many favoured the OPP proposal, with most using their time to state their appreciation for the Wingham Police Service's commitment to the community, and a feeling of safety that citizens around the town hope will remain.
A new issue also surprised many residents; if North Huron Council votes to go with the OPP in Wingham, the OPP detachment office in Wingham will be closed by the end of 2020, and consolidated at a new facility in Clinton. This means neither a town police station or OPP building would exist in Wingham.
One OPP representative responded to this by saying that OPP cruisers operate as "mobile offices", so any officers assigned to Wingham would have all the essentials they need to perform their duties.
Members of council will now discuss messages received over their next several council meetings.
Reeve Neil Vincent told Blackburn News he would ideally like to have a vote on the issue during either the second-or-third council meeting in February, depending on councillors requesting more information that allows them to make an informed decision.
The OPP's current proposal expires on March 25.