THUNDER BAY - City police are reaching out to the province and a little closer to home to help address escalating criminal activity such as gangs, guns, and drugs in the city of Thunder Bay.
During the Thunder Bay Police Services Board meeting on Tuesday, several city councilors sitting on the board - now also on the campaign trail - said many people have been asking them what is being done to address crime in the city.
Acting Thunder Bay Police Service chief, Sylvie Hauth, said she has reached out to the Ministry of Community Services and Corrections in a letter asking Minister Michael Tibollo for assistance.
“My letter was very specific to the Minister and saying that because there are no borders, we are feeling the effects of the drugs, the gangs, and firearms coming into the community and we are seeing more and more incidents,” Hauth said.
“It is important for the ministry to recognize that and if they are looking at additional funding and resources for services like Toronto, we should as well be considered and are asking for funds and additional resources for fighting those issues.”
Hauth said no specific number in funding has been requested and those decisions would need to be worked out after the actual conversation has started, which she hopes her letter will accomplish.
“I think it’s a recognition that drugs and gangs don’t know borders,” Hauth said. “We hear a lot in the news about the shootings that are happening in Southern Ontario and I think it’s important to show that Thunder Bay is not immune to the violence and the gangs and the drugs that is also happening in Southern Ontario.”
Minister Tibollo has not yet responded to Hauth’s letter, but she said the community can also assist police in identifying troubled areas of the city and possible criminal activity.
The information gathered from the public allows the police service to secure warrants and investigate criminal activity taking place in local neighbourhoods.
Police have already made several large seizures of drugs, money, and weapons this year, including more than $600,000 in cash and $125,000 in drugs from a Ruttan Street residence in June.
“For us, right now, with the information that we get, and it’s something I put out there quite frequently, people need to tell us what they see happening,” she said. “Give us the information. We are able to apply for warrants.”
“We have to have our facts in order. We have to be able to show that we have reasonable grounds to believe that there is illegal activity occurring in the residence.”
Hauth acknowledged that there are a lot of gang members from Southern Ontario coming to Thunder Bay because it is such a lucrative market for drugs. These gangs are preying on vulnerable segments of the population, which is why she is reaching out to the province and the people of Thunder Bay to assist the local police service.
“We are getting drugs off the streets, we are getting firearms off the streets, but we cannot do it without the help of the people of Thunder Bay and what they see in their neighbourhoods,” she said.
