CAYUGA—Boats on the water, boots on the ground, and a dip in violent crime: the April detachment report from Interim Detachment Commander Andy Fox painted a picture of progress for Haldimand OPP.
Presented during the May 22, 2025 Haldimand County OPP Board meeting, the report highlighted encouraging crime and collision trends, renewed community engagement, and a deeper commitment to data accuracy and transparency.
Fox opened the report by welcoming Acting Staff Sergeant Tara Bolstad. A Haldimand native, Bolstad said she was glad to be back home after a 20-year policing career that includes work on homicide investigations, collision reconstruction, and service across Ontario.
Two new recruits have also joined the detachment and were undergoing orientation at the time of the meeting, with field deployment to follow under the guidance of coach officers.
Traffic safety featured prominently in the report. April saw 25 motor vehicle collisions in Haldimand: 22 with property damage, three with injuries, and no fatalities. The figures reflect a 56.9% drop in collisions compared to April 2024, and an 11.7% decrease year-to-date.
“Zero fatal collisions is fantastic,” said Fox. “That’s a significant step forward.”
Four impaired occurrences were recorded in April, bringing the year-to-date total to 25.
On the enforcement side, 24 ticket warnings were issued, with the most common offences being failure to surrender permits or insurance, and speeding. While slightly up from April 2024, the year-to-date tally of warnings is down 6.2%.
In addition to enforcement, the report detailed extensive community outreach and wellness initiatives, particularly through the work of Community Engagement Officer PC Jordan Foebel.
In April, Foebel attended or assisted in six calls for service involving community wellness checks and completed 40 follow-ups, ultimately offering assistance to 40 individuals.
Haldimand County had 19 mental health-related calls for service in April. Targeted work with community partners, including support for individuals who frequently require police intervention, resulted in a 50% drop in calls for one high-need case.
In another instance, Foebel helped locate an unhoused resident and secure shelter, a quiet but meaningful success acknowledged during the discussion.
Fox confirmed that officers logged 978.5 hours of cruiser patrol in April, more than previously reported due to timing discrepancies in data entry. Foot patrol hours also rose to 44.75, an increase from last year. The correction was submitted as an amendment to the originally tabled report.
Chair Lorne Boyko acknowledged the issue, stating the large discrepancy had raised red flags. Fox agreed to work with administrative staff to determine the optimal cut-off time for compiling monthly data to avoid future inaccuracies.
Board member Kelly Shaw reported positive community feedback about the increased police visibility.
“In the past month, I’ve received more comments and phone calls about seeing officers out walking the streets and in cruisers,” said Shaw. “People are noticing, and they’re saying good things.”
Fox welcomed the feedback and said it aligned with the detachment’s goal of increasing presence in neighbourhoods, both to reassure residents and deter crime.
Firearm-related offences were briefly discussed after McAskill pointed to an uptick. Fox noted a possible correlation between firearm incidents and drug activity, though the statistics are grouped with assault data and could not be disaggregated without a deeper review of individual cases.
The discussion then turned to marine patrols with the onset of warmer weather. Fox said the detachment has a scheduled presence for weekends and holiday Mondays on the Grand River and Lake Erie, with two officers currently being trained through the OPP’s basic marine course.
A broader regional initiative – Operation 3D – will provide extended marine coverage seven days a week through collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions.
Shaw also inquired about youth diversion statistics, noting the absence of activity in April. Fox confirmed that no diversions were recorded for the month.
He also verified that the mental health occurrences were down by 32 compared to the previous month, breaking what had been an upward trend in recent board reports.
Boyko said the drop was welcome, even if temporary. “It’s good news for now,” he said, “and we’ll see what next month brings.”
Another question centred on hospital diversions in mental health calls, particularly the possibility of breaking down diversion statistics by facility. Fox said it would require some coordination to ensure accurate data collection and committed to investigating further.
Boyko then raised concerns about how data related to the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) is presented.
While incidents from MCFN are currently embedded in the broader report, Boyko argued that the structure of the new OPP Detachment Board – governed under the Community Safety and Policing Act – demands clearer visibility into all communities it oversees.
“Two members from MCFN sit on this board,” said Boyko. “And it feels like they’re just listening to a Haldimand County report.”
Fox agreed the issue needed attention. One proposal under consideration is to append the existing MCFN-specific report already generated for council meetings. MCFN board member Leslie Maracle supported this approach, noting it would avoid duplicating efforts and allow for easy comparison between county-wide and MCFN-specific statistics.
“I’ll look into how best to present that information,” said Fox. “And I’ll make sure that it’s incorporated properly into our future reports.”
With discussion concluded, the board voted unanimously to receive the April 2025 detachment report as amended, with the updated patrol statistics included.
