Located on page 4 of the OPP’s 2018 Annual Report.
On April 8, 2019, I was sworn in as Commissioner of the OPP, and it is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the members of the OPP, I present the 2018 Annual Report. This retrospective highlights some of the remarkable work undertaken over the past year.
Our members provided community-based policing in 325 municipalities and served our citizens tirelessly while patrolling more than one million square kilometres. As Ontario’s police service of jurisdiction, the OPP continued to lead province-wide joint-force initiatives that countered the exploitation of children and vulnerable persons, disrupted organized crime and tackled the growing prevalence of guns and gangs.
I encourage the women and men of the OPP to be proud of their collective accomplishments that garnered an impressive 95.5% community satisfaction rating with the overall quality of service provided to our communities. Their leadership and excellence was further acknowledged with various local, provincial and national excellence in policing awards. It is these successes and the OPP’s well-deserved legacy of expertise that will form the basis of our path forward. This path will include healthy, safe and productive workplaces for all members and the efficient stewardship of public funds.
In 2018, the number of federal and provincial statute charges laid increased to over 525 thousand. This coincided with a 9.6% increase in Criminal Code violations and a 6% increase in traffic-related enforcement. These efforts notwithstanding, perhaps as impressive is that throughout the last year, the OPP contended with more than one million occurrences that required its presence/resourcing.
As well, the frontline collaborated for local solutions to local issues through participation at more than half of the situation tables operating around the province. Additionally, robust and valued partnerships with Indigenous communities ensured that youth-empowerment and education initiatives were delivered in support of sustainable and positive change.
From a public safety perspective, the OPP continued to focus on individuals operating outside of the parameters of recent legislation that legalized cannabis for non-medical use, and the criminality that places individuals suffering from substance abuse disorders at risk.
In fact, over $5.3 million in drugs were removed from OPP communities alone, comprised in part by seizures of fentanyl with a street value of more than $1 million and illicit cannabis valued at $2.5 million.
I am deeply honoured with the responsibility to lead an organization that is one of the largest deployed police services in North America and serves more than 14 million Ontarians. I share a sense of pride with all members for the remarkable achievements detailed herein. I know I speak for the women and men of the OPP when I state, as public servants, we remain committed to ensuring Safe Communities… A Secure Ontario.
Thomas Carrique, M.O.M.
Editor’s Note: A copy of the OPP’s 2018 Annual Report can be found on the Township website.
