THUNDER BAY - Despite a decrease in calls for service to Thunder Bay police, some units within the branch are experiencing the same heavy workload amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has been releasing short videos to their Facebook page highlighting how COVID-19 has changed policing in the city. In a video released on Friday, Det.-Sgt. Dan Irwin with the Thunder Bay Police Service Intelligence Unit touches on how gang and gun issues within the city continue during the pandemic.
“I don’t see a change or reduction in our workload at all. Individuals from the Toronto area and Ottawa area continue to come to Thunder Bay again for the sole purpose to take advantage of our high addiction rates,” Irwin said in the video. “As far as COVID-19, I don’t see that slowing (activity) down at all.”
Other areas that have not seen any change include domestic violence calls, according to Det.-Sgt. Jeremy Pearson with the Criminal Investigations Branch.
“The sad truth of the matter is our domestic violence rates remain pretty consistent. I have not been made aware of any notable uptick in either the severity of incidents as a result of social distancing and isolation requiring people to remain in the homes,” Pearson said, adding the domestic violence unit is busy regardless.
In early April, police released numbers reflecting a decrease in calls for service for the month of March. There was a 15 per cent decrease in calls for last month compared to the same period last year.
Police also saw nearly a 40 per cent drop in vehicle collisions reports for March compared to the previous year.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has been encouraging individuals to take advantage of the online reporting tool which can be found by clicking here.
