Cobourg Police annual report delivers stats as many are up and some others dropped

Earlier this week, Cobourg Police Chief Paul VandeGraaf presented his annual report for the past year to town council. Many statistics were up. The number of calls, crime rate, reported crimes, mental health calls, drug poisonings, overdoses, break, and enters all increased. The number of complaints against police was down, as were the times when officers used force. But things have changed in other ways. More public meetings were called to answer the public’s concerns around the downtown and Battell Street neighbourhood. Also, a recent police investigation into a stabbing led to the Cobourg Safety Panel, a multi-agency body, being called in to close homes for unsafe conditions. So, how are things really going for the Cobourg Police Force? In this interview, the chief will explain many of the stats in the report, along with some of the shortcomings. He will also tackle the ongoing issue of drugs in Cobourg. And you will find out what kind of job he does on that front.