N E W S SURVEY SHOWS AN INCREASE IN ONLINE REPORTS TO POLICE
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
More people are reporting property crimes online to police. The latest OPP statistics report shows a 99 per cent increase from January to May 20 of this year in online property crime reports compared to the same period last year. An OPP incident report noted that these online reports during the current pandemic help reduce the risk of disease contagion for both police and the general public. It also frees up police officers in the field to respond to urgent situations like major accidents. People can go to www.opp.ca/reporting for information on how to file an online crime report and also to file a complaint. Anyone going to the site will be directed to a secure online link for filing a report. The focus for now for the online crime report system is on property crimes, where there are no obvious suspects. That includes theft under or over $5000 value, vandalism to property where the damage is under or over $5000 value, theft from a vehicle, vandalism to a vehicle, lost or missing pro- perty, and stolen licence plates or vehicle validation tags.
A recent analysis shows that online reports to police about some property crimes and traffic complaints are on the increase. —stock photo
Online reports about driving complaints that fall under either the Criminal Code of Canada or the Highway Traffic Act are also accepted following the actual incident after it occurred. A complete of the types of incidents suitable for an online crime report are at www.opp.ca/reporting.
CAR ACCIDENT ON MCGILL STREET
The first official day of summer in Hawkesbury also saw one of the first traffic accidents of the season early in the afternoon June 20. An 80-year-old man from Saint-Eugène lost control of his car on McGill Street near the County Road 17 overpass and hit a power pole. A preliminary police report indicates no injuries resulted. The car was towed away and, as of press time, the OPP was still investigating. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
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