The Barrie police traffic unit is back on their beat as of last week.
As part of the COVID-19 response in March, Barrie police redeployed its traffic unit to assist with front-line calls for service.
From June 15 to 19 – their first full work week back on the job – officers with the unit laid 157 charges including 98 for speeding, 10 for muffler-related issues, and nine for unnecessary noise.
“We were able to spend last week dealing with some of the continuous complaints we receive, and they were able to address those and make their presence known that they’re back out there,” said Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon.
As the province and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit have taken steps to move into Phase 2 reopening across the county, Leon says the police department feels comfortable moving its deployed officers back to their regular focus.
“From the numbers we’re seeing, we’re encouraged by those results. Because of that, we’re able to move back to our regular deployment models,” he said. “If the (COVID) situation were to make a quick and sudden turn, then that’s something we could deal with very easily because we’ve done it before.”
The Barrie police traffic unit employs nine officers, including one sergeant and eight constables. In addition to monitoring the city for speeding and vehicle-related crimes, they are also responsible for policing driving-while-impaired crimes and collisions.
The entire unit was redeployed as part of the force’s COVID-19 response.
“They were dealing with anything from shoplifting calls, domestic calls, that type of thing. If something traffic-related came along, such as a motor vehicle collision, they were able to step in quickly and still take care of that,” said Leon.
Leon says the traffic unit has received many complaints about traffic issues at the lakeshore, and as such that would be a main area of enforcement in addition to other areas around town moving forward.
