Find ways to keep cop station open

editor@innisfilscope.com Somewhere along the line of government bureaucracy, a huge oversight lead to the temporary closure of the South Simcoe Police North Division station.

Last week, a town committee asked the police services board to provide cost estimates for keeping a facility open for public access at least one day per week. The committee was responding to concerns over the planned one year closure of the North Division station, as the site undergoes a $3.6 million makeover. The closure, effective Oct. 28, saw the North Division temporarily relocated to the nearby Old Town Hall administration building.

However, the temporary location is currently closed to the public, with only an emergency phone available near the building's entrance. Councillors want the building to be open, on a minimum part-time basis, to allow residents to drop-off criminal record check documentation.

During the closure, many of the regular functions of the service, like criminal processing and general inquires, will be moved to the South Division station. However, police representatives have been quick to suggest that emergency services and regular patrols will be unaffected by the closure.

The exact impact of the station closure will be unseen for quite some time. There are several factors that will affect daily police servicing in the Innisfil area, like arrests, special event coverage, overtime availability and general calls for service over the next year. And surely the police have detailed plans to maximize staffing and patrols of the town.

But this closure really isn't about the safety of the community; the police presence will remain in Innisfil, as the North Division undergoes renovation. Instead, this is a case of perception and inconvenience. In reality, the current station needed to close, since it would be too difficult to function with construction crews renovating a large percentage of the building.

Innisfil though, is responsible for paying 60 per cent of the policing costs in South Simcoe, with Bradford West Gwillimbury picking up the remaining amount. Residents may already feel slighted by Bradford's brand new station, with Innisfil only pegged for an expansion of its existing facility. Now, the idea that the only police building in town will be cut off to public access for the next year seems poorly planned. The closure will force Innisfil residents to travel to the Bradford station for basic issues, spending valuable time and money on travel.

Police Chief Bruce Davis says the board has looked at a variety of other options, like providing servicing through South Simcoe's Cookstown Outlet Mall branch, or leasing retail space. Unfortunately, all potential options come with a price tag. But keeping the North Division closed for public access is a huge oversight, both by the police board and Innisfil's government. Regardless of where the blame is placed, finding

solution now becomes essential. Would it really be financially taxing to shift some services and administrative functions to the outlet mall few days of the week?

Right now, police are only renting a small portion of the Old Town Hall, mostly in the back of the building. Perhaps the town could show leadership on the issue, by providing free access to the front foyer of the building, where residents could have meet with police personnel on a regular basis. This issue requires little investigative work, but a bit of creativity. In this case, policing becomes all about politics and perception.