Crime down but OPP bill rises

Reports show fewer criminal cases in Trent Hills in 2024

Crime was down in Trent Hills last year, according to the Ontario Provincial Police, but the cost of fighting it is going up dramatically.

Reports to Trent Hills council last week from the Northumberland OPP detachment show that during 2024 there were 98 violent crimes in the municipality, down 3 per cent from 101 in 2023; there were 215 property crimes, down 6 per cent from 229 in 2023; and six drug crimes, unchanged from the previous year.

The OPP reports say the force cleared 36 per cent of those cases, down 2.5 per cent from its 38 per cent clearance rate in 2023.

There were 14 sexual assaults, down 22 per cent from 18; 49 assaults, down 5.8 per cent from 52; 15 cases of breaking and entering, down 42 per cent from 26.

The only crime with a dramatic increase was theft over $5,000 with 23 cases, up 76 per cent from 13 cases in 2023. There were 66 cases of theft under $5,000, down 21 per cent from 84. The number of fraud cases was 61, down 10 per cent from 68.

The reports were part of council’s agenda and were accepted without comment or discussion.

You may recall the angst over the cost of OPP services back in December when council was setting the budget for 2025. The province had reached a new contract with OPP officers that drove up costs for most municipalities.

For Trent Hills the tab jumped $441,000 to $3 million, up 17 per cent. After weeks of complaints and with a planned election call in the offing, the province provided a $431,000 grant to offset that increase for 2025, but didn’t offer any permanent increase. Police services represent 12.3 per cent of total municipal spending.

During the year, the new Northumberland OPP Police Services Board was created, replacing the Trent Hills board and other local boards. Councillor Rob Pope represents us on the police board. Local resident Eric Kowal is also a member.

In his report on the year, John Davison, chair of the Northumberland OPP board, noted that ‘we belong to a small group of organized boards while the vast majority are still unorganized to this date.’

A dispute over insurance coverage for public members of the board created delays and uncertainty.

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