The new Quinte West Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) building in Trenton has been open and in use for over a year now, but the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the building finally was able to happen.
Local and area dignitaries joined OPP officers to open the new facility on Dixon Drive which has been in use since February 26, 2020.
Solicitor General of Ontario Honourable Sylvia Jones said on the morning of February 26, uniformed officers started their shift in the old building and finished their shift in the new building, and the difference is literally night and day.
“The old Trenton police headquarters served the OPP well in its day, but it struggled to accommodate all personnel, especially after the Highway Safety Division moved in,” said Jones.
“Police must overcome many challenges in their mission to keep communities safe. Having to make do with obsolete equipment and facilities should not be one of them.”
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique thanked the City of Quinte West for providing the new facility as it will help the OPP continue to deliver professional policing services in this community.
“Despite having worked out of an antiquated building for many years, our members have done a tremendous job making Quinte West a safe place to live and visit. The commitment of our team of more than 80 uniformed, civilian and auxiliary department personnel to delivering exceptional policing service is evident in their work each and every day.”
Detachment Commander Inspector Christina Reive said this moment has been more than two-plus years in the making as the official groundbreaking ceremony took place on September 26, 2018.
“We moved in one week before the first COVID shutdown, so we’ve never had the opportunity to show what was built for us to the community and to show our appreciation for it. Thrilled to be able to be here and show it off today.”
The new facility prominently features community space, something Inspector Reive says they sought out.
“Having our partners close by and building those relationships,” she said after the ceremony. “And ensuring they also had a safe place to work and where we had easy access to build relationships. Having them on site, having it open to community members and community programs is fully supported by our officers.”
The new facility is called home by 70 uniformed officers, 12 civilian staff and many community officers from across the region.
The community area is open to any community service that assists the police in any way said Reive.
Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison was thrilled to be in attendance for this event as he missed the sod turning back in 2018.
He said it is an accomplishment by all of them to make sure our citizens are safe.
“It will be here for a long time and it will function even better because they have so many options here that can be added to it. So, I’m proud yes.”
The new building is up to date, the custody area is safe, secure and up to modern standards. There is room for traffic officers, community service officers, drug enforcement officers with specific safe areas for drug processing including fentanyl, and two separate IT rooms.
Inspector Reive says it is spacious and clean and gives officers space to do their work.
Task Force Engineering was in charge of the project and the building was completed on time and on budget.
Highlights of the new 20,000 square foot facility include a 4,800 square foot community centre, 30 covered parking spaces for OPP cruisers and equipment, 117 parking spots including 24 visitor spots, a collision reporting centre and a generator that can operate the entire building for 72 hours.
The cost of the new building was over $10 million.
