The Chatham-Kent Police Service is reporting that in 2020, officers seized the highest dollar value of drugs ever in the history of Chatham-Kent.
Police Chief Gary Conn and his top brass released last year's annual report on Tuesday, showing that $11.5 million worth of drugs were confiscated last year, a jump from $3.3 million in 2019.
Police also said, on average, close to five search warrants for drugs were executed each month in 2020 . They said drug and property crime arrests increased too from 69 to 93 and criminal charges almost doubled to 321.
"The fight against the sale and consumption of illegal drugs continued throughout the year with search warrants being executed each month and a number of accused being charged," said police. "Fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine are the main drugs of choice with heroin making a strong comeback. Our focus on street-level drug use and sales, assist in identifying the main players and limiting their negative effects on our community."
Police also claimed drug dealers are mixing heroin with Fentanyl, which makes it a very toxic and deadly drug.
The report also showed a large increase in arson, theft, break and entering at businesses, and weapons offences in 2020 but a slight decrease in attempted murder, counterfeit money, and impaired driving.
Arson jumped by 233 per cent, theft went up by 80 per cent, break and enters at businesses increased by 67 per cent, and weapons offences rose by 48 per cent. Drug crimes also went up by 22 per cent and aggravated assaults jumped by 33 per cent. Attempted murders went from four to zero, but there was one murder last year compared to none in 2019, according to police.
"The downward trend in residential Break-and-Enters is two-fold, due to both the service’s attention to our prolific offenders and COVID-19. Many people were forced to remain home or work from home, thus contributing to the decrease," said police. "We did see an increase in business B&E's and theft of property over $5,000. These increases are largely due to a small local group of criminals. We try to keep these criminals in check. Further, our ability to engage the community to assist in crime reduction via social media, and educational opportunities is another key component. These have and will have a positive effect in combating property crime."
Domestic violence between intimate partners also dropped in 2020, according to the statistics. Police noted that the number of reports went from 2,219 in 2019 to 1,904 last year. They also reported that social disorder issues, such as neighbour disputes, chronic noise complaints in multi-unit buildings, landlord/tenant matters, and issues related to homelessness dominated the year.
Chatham-Kent police also report that the next phase to enhance security in the municipality is to expand the closed circuit television (CCTV) program to the downtown. Six cameras are being proposed along King Street at Third Street, Fourth Street, Fifth Street, Sixth Street, and William Street, as well as Wellington Street at Fourth Street.
"Chatham's downtown core area is an entertainment destination for the citizens of the Municipality, hosting a number of restaurants and bars along King Street. These bars and restaurants are all within a three-block radius, virtually 400 metres apart. As bars let out, certainly on Friday and Saturday nights, problems have occurred within the downtown core," the report stated.
Police said there has been an increase in calls for service surrounding both the Hope Haven shelter and the Abiding House.
In 2020 police also saw a decrease in the number of youth charged and the number of charges laid compared to 2019. There were 155 criminal incidents involving Chatham-Kent youth that lead to 64 youths being charged with a total of 121 criminal charges laid, a decrease of 43 per cent in the number of criminal incidents, a decrease of 23 per cent of youth charged, and a decrease of 19 per cent in charges laid.
The annual report also showed that mental health calls increased by 23 per cent last year. Critical incidents requiring the tactical team to respond to bomb threats, barricaded people, and high-risk search warrants also significantly jumped to 183 from 143 the previous year, and broke the 2016 record for calls.
The traffic unit also saw a decrease in motor vehicle collisions involving fatalities, serious life threatening injuries, and call-outs decreased by 34 per cent from 32 in 2019 to 21.
Chief Conn said economic pressures continue to affect the community due to the pandemic.
"I believe everyone would agree this past year was a year like no other. In the policing profession, it has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging years in history, as our members and Service have had to adapt to policing during a pandemic" said Conn. "As the challenges of today’s policing environment change with both a COVID-19 and Opioid crisis, our Police Service continues to evolve as we evaluate the needs of our community and prioritize our resources in a manner that is most effective and align with our current Strategic Plan."