CORNWALL, Ontario – In their first meeting since February, the Cornwall Police Board received an update on the work of the Cornwall Police Service (CPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report, presented on Thursday, June 4, outlined the overall impact that COVID-19 has had on the CPS and on the calls they respond to.
The report states that while over all call volume was down in the months of March, April, and May from the previous year, calls related to domestic disputes were up by 37 per cent in April and 12 per cent in May.
During this time period, the CPS has responded to 221 calls for service related to domestic disputes while they responded to 190 calls of the same type during the same time period in 2019.
The only other areas of increase CPS saw in their routine calls were calls related to personal welfare checks, which was up by 15 per cent in April, and calls related to the Mental Health Act which were up by 40 per cent in May.
Other areas impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic included over $13,000 spent on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and sanitation supplies, as well as calls for service related to the pandemic.
CPS responded to 234 calls under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) which governs the closure of businesses and restrictions on public gatherings.
CPS also responded to 23 calls under the Quarantine Act and answered 119 calls to the COVID-19 Info Helpline.
COVID-19 has also had a direct impact on CPS manpower resources in other ways.
CPS lost 2,147 work hours due to personnel in self-isolation, 903 hours were lost to mandatory days off, and 174 hours of overtime were incurred.
