Richard Byers introduced our guests citing the common bond among police officers to each other and their common duty to the communities they serve. He also praised members of our local detachment for their actions leading to two murder trials in Richard’s former career. So, Staff Sergeant John Hatch, is a fourth generation law enforcement officer in his family, a fact that he had outlined in his previous visit to our Club back in 2019, just after he had been promoted to his present position. He told us that his presentation would be similar in type and scope to his regular Reports to the Police Services Board and, he added an action replay of his recent presentation to the Wellington Club.He led off by highlighting the principal priorities of his PEC Action Plan, namely 1) Crime Reduction, 2) Highway Safety and 3) Other Priorities (e.g. Mental Health Issues). Having taken a humourous jab at his fellow public servants, the Firefighters Staff Sergeant Hatch led us through some extensive but interesting statistics and offered comparisons with other Detachments among the seventy operating in the province. Our track record in the County is quite impressive drawing as it did Zero public complaints this year as the Force focussed on violent crime, property crime, drug crime and not forgetting crimes of domestic violence and highway safety. A new area of focus here is the crime of fraud. The Detachment’s Community Safety Well-Being Plan which has been published since 2016 is available online.
As to the future, John mused that he is now counting the days to his retirement (240 to go) and allowed that the achievement does not come without a cost and that it is expected that the Force will be expanded from its current complement of 1 Commander, 4 Officers and 35 Constables so as to maintain our enviable level of safety here in the County.
John then moved on to address six questions that had been sent in by members in advance. Subjects ranged from the serious ones of speeding, impaired driving - a crisis in PEC - and education to deter domestic violence to a humorous post script when John refuted, with photographic evidence a claim by our member Scott Lavender that he, John could not play hockey with proof of scoring a hat trick in a regional tournament years ago when John played for the Gananoque Team!!
As a postscript, John announced that NON-EMERGENCY calls should be to 1-888-310- 1122, ONLY EMERGENCY CALLS should go to 911.