Violent criminals released prematurely: Police board

MPP asked to ‘bring this to the attention of your government’

Violent criminals are being arrested and released too soon because of new federal laws and the COVID-19 pandemic, states a new letter from the city police board to MPP Dave Smith — and although Smith says he agrees it’s putting local people at risk, it’s up to the federal government to help fix it.

Peterborough’s crime rate increased 8.8 per cent in the first half of 2020 compared to the first six months of 2019, notes the letter from the police board to Smith.

The police board says that’s due in part to new federal legislation adopted last year, Bill C-75, that does away with preliminary hearings for less-serious crimes. Also a factor is COVID-19, the police board letter states. The pandemic has required police to release people soon after arrest to avoid crowding in police station holding cells.

The police board cites eight recent examples where someone in Peterborough was arrested and soon released, “only to reoffend shortly thereafter.”

One notable example in the letter is the violent attack on a woman in Jackson Park in August.

On Aug 17, a 61-year-old woman suffered critical injuries in an attack on the walking trail in Jackson Park by a man who grabbed her and dragged her into a ravine.

A suspect was later charged with several offenses, including sexual assault and kidnapping.

“Bill C-75, coupled with the pandemic” allows this type of incident to happen, writes Coun. Gary Baldwin, the police board chair, in the letter to Smith.

“We are hopeful that you will bring this to the attention of your government,” Baldwin writes.

In a new letter that the police board will review at a meeting on Thursday, Smith responds that he agrees “wholeheartedly” that it’s concerning but that he’s limited in his ability to help.

Smith writes that he and other MPPs have urged Premier Doug Ford to push the federal government to “immediately review Bill C-75 and make adjustments to it to ensure the safety of our communities.”

Regarding the need to release people soon after arrest due to COVID-19, Smith writes that the Ontario government has

been “continuously monitoring the situation” in the province and worldwide.

“This gives us the ability to make adjustments based on the best practices that we are seeing, and to ensure that Ontario is taking the most appropriate actions,” he wrote.

Although the police board also planned to write a similar letter to Women and Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef, no response from her is on the police board agenda for Thursday. Joelle.Kovach @peterboroughdaily.com