By Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
A total of 1,927 vehicle collisions occurred on roads in the municipality patrolled by the Chatham-Kent Police in 2022.
The total was 242 more than in 2021, according to the CKPS Community Patrol Branch’s annual report presented at the Chatham-Kent Police Service Board’s monthly meeting for May.
This does not include collisions on Highways 40 and 401 in Chatham-Kent, which the Ontario Provincial Police handle.
There were 1,217 officer-reported accidents and 701 reported through the Collision Reporting Centre, up from 1,192 and 493, respectively, in 2021. There were 208 injury-related accidents, 933 property only and 63 non-reportable.
Traffic Management was called out to investigate 11 fatal accidents and seven life-threatening and seven support accidents last year, compared to 10, eight and nine, respectively, in 2021. Six of the fatal accidents involved alcohol or drug impairment, and one resulted from driving too fast for the road conditions at the time.
Eight collision investigations resulted in 10 criminal charges and 25 provincial offence charges, while eight others did not result in any charges being laid. One investigation remains open, and another has been handed over to another police agency.
Three intersections in Chatham had the most collisions in 2022, as Keil Dr. S. at Richmond St. had 14 crashes, while Lacroix Ave. and Park Ave. W. was tied with 11 with Keil Dr. N. and Grand Ave. W.
The CKPS increased its number of Standard Field Sobriety trained officers from 41 to 45 in 2022, as 26 tests were conducted, a 32 percent increase from 2021.
The CKPS’s Reduced Impaired Driving Everywhere teams conducted 30 spot checks in 2022 as 6,089 vehicles were stopped and 38 roadside tests were administered, resulting in 13 three-day suspensions, one impaired over-80 charge, 32 provincial offence notices and one criminal charge.
Police investigated 30 pedestrian-vehicle collisions in 2022, including one death and 21 injury accidents and 34 bicycle-vehicle crashes, including 18 with injuries.
The Traffic Unit laid 1,557 of the CKPS’s total of 3,447 provincial offence charges in 2022, down slightly from 3,674 in 2021.
The Unmanned Aerial System (drone) was deployed 102 times in 2022, including assisting in 50 criminal investigations, 20 motor vehicle collisions, 16 missing persons’ cases and 16 police assist cases. Drones conducted 372 total flights, logging over 71 hours in flight time.
Meanwhile, the CKPS responded to 1,487 youth-related incidents in 2022, a 12.5 percent decrease from 2021. Most calls were non-criminal, including provincial offences without criminal consideration, domestic and family disputes, and apprehension of youth under the Mental Health Act.
Police investigated 155 criminal-type incidents involving youth that led to 35 youths being issued with 77 criminal charges. The most serious was a second-degree murder charge of a 17-year-old youth in an incident in Tilbury.
The leading incidents resulting in charges were, in order: assault, sexual assault, mischief, sexual interference and threats.
The specialized HELP Team and Mobile Crisis Team handled 1,180 mental health incidents reported to police in 2022.
The MCT arrested 53 people under the Mental Health Act, conducted 104 mental health assessments and executed 19 Mental Health Act forms issued by psychiatrists, doctors or justices of the peace.
The CKPS Critical Incident Response Team was deployed on 218 occasions in 2022, up from 144 in 2021.
The CIRT executed 14 high-risk warrants in collaboration with the CKPS Intelligence Unit and Criminal Investigations Division and also assisted in executing a multi-unit warrant in London that resulted in a 3.5-kg cocaine seizure.
CIRT was called out for six full-team responses – three for missing children and three for weapons incidents – resulting in all children being found and arrests in the weapons incidents. CIRT also assisted in the Ambassador Bridge blockade.
Helix, a dual-purpose trained dog in the CKPS’s Canine Unit, was deployed 136 times in 2022, including 20 call-outs, leading to nine arrests and seven assisted arrests.
