Belleville Police Chief Ron Gignac. (File photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
While Statistics Canada’s recent local and national crime stats indicate a downward trend for violent incidents, Belleville’s police chief is still concerned with how assaults against his officers have taken a significant leap.
In Belleville, the Crime Severity Index was 75, down slightly from 2015 and the Violent Crime Severity Index was down 20% to 74.
Belleville Police Chief Ron Gignac said assaults against his officers have increased 700% over 2015.
Gignac also noted the number of suspects failing to comply with orders is weighing on his local police forces.
The number of people not complying with court orders is up 35% over 2015; suspects failing to appear in court have increased to 32 cases from 20 last year and 56.8% breached their probation in 2016.
Overall, Gignac explained more needs to be done to tackle violent crimes.
Around the area, OPP policing in the Brighton area had a Violent Crime Severity Index of 21. The Violent Crime Severity Index was up 14% from 2015, but that year was unusually quiet compared to recent years.
In Prince Edward County, the Crime Severity Index was 43, down 9%, while the Violent Crime Severity Index was 35, down 20% from 2015.
In Quinte West, the overall Crime Severity Index was 39, down 14%, while the Violent Crime Severity Index was 51, down 33%.
