Northumberland policing could fall to outside agencies like Peterborough
Report set to go before county council looking at various options for future
A report going before Northumberland County Council next week eyeing how best to police the region in the decades ahead includes options that could see an amalgamation of current services, or perhaps bringing in outside help from Peterborough or Durham Region.
The Northumberland Police Services Review suggests the county is facing growing social challenges, including homelessness, encampments and mental health and addictions issues that are straining social service and emergency response providers.
The report — aimed to inform a discussion about the future needs of policing, including service requirements and costs —will look at current services provided, future cost considerations and provide options available for policing in Northumberland.
Northumberland County is growing, with a projected population of 122,000 by 2051. The county is currently served by Cobourg Police Services, Port Hope Police Service and Northumberland OPP.
“This report will provide Northumberland County Council with the information necessary to determine what next steps could be considered to support effective public safety services as Northumberland grows and changes,” the report states. “We will compare and contrast the delivery of policing services through specific scenarios.
These scenarios will enable Northumberland County to compare the current state delivery model versus other options that could be pursued over a 15-year time frame.”
The report will go to county council Wednesday.
Four options are presented in the report.
■ 1. Maintain the current state.
■ 2. Amalgamation — Create a new consolidated service for some (ie. through the creation of an amalgamated service for Cobourg, Port Hope — Ward 1 and Ward 2, and Hamilton Township) or all of Northumberland.
■ 3. External option — Empower a neighbouring police service (ie. Durham, Peterborough) or the OPP to provide services for the entire county.
■ 4. Other potential opportunities that represent the best option for policing in Northumberland.
For comparison, each scenario will be evaluated based on its advantages and disadvantages, focusing on both cost implications and service quality.
The plan set out in the report calls for interviews with mayors, police chiefs and detachment commanders in the county as well as data collection from the three police services covering the region. A presentation on findings would come back to county council in the second half of 2024 to allow for further review and discussion.
Just two months ago, Cobourg police Chief Paul VandeGraaf urged town council to support the construction of a new police station for the community at an estimated cost of more than $34 million.
In a report presented to council in February, VandeGraaf called the project an investment for the community for the next 25 years.
The concept of a combined West Northumberland Police Service has been discussed for more than a decade but has not gained much traction.