The opening of a self-reporting collision centre in the city is set for June 1.
A Collision Reporting Centre (CRC) was approved last November, and the Sarnia Police Service hoped to have it up and running by May or June.
Deputy Chief Owen Lockhart said their soft launch has been delayed slightly.
"Our building is owned by the city, so we had to get the proper building permits, which was causing the delay. Also, the CRC was a little behind on hiring employees," said Lockhart. "The soft launch means we'll still be attending minor collisions, but we'll be encouraging people to report to the CRC. We'll be doing this for at least the first month,"
Lockhart said officers will eventually stop attending minor collisions altogether.
Cst. John Sottosanti said once the CRC is in place, both officers and motorists will benefit.
"It will allow us to have more officers on the road and more proactive policing. So rather than going to a collision in a parking lot or a very minor 10:50, people are coming in at their own leisure," said Sottosanti. "People who have to go to go work or be somewhere following a minor collision, are able to come in later in the day or the following day to report it, so there are definite advantages to the CRC."
Sottosanti said he's spoken with several communities across the province that have seen a number of efficiencies as a result of their CRC.