Tuesday, January 20, 2009

2008 A BUSY YEAR IN EAST ALGOMA

In 2008, East Algoma OPP officers:

• worked 126,854 hours in the cluster which consists of Thessalon, Blind River and Elliot Lake
• took just over 11,000 calls for service and
• spent 19,000 hours on Criminal Investigations

The top 3 stats placed us as the highest in the Northeast Region.

Some additional stats include:

• cleared 1009 calls by laying a charge
• spent just over 75,000 hours in our 7 contract locations (Town of Thessalon, Town of Blind River, City of Elliot Lake, Township of Johnson, Town of Bruce Mines, Town of Spanish and the North Shore)
• spent just over 8000 hours on our Provincial Highways and Waterways
• logged 366 hours of Motorized Snowmobile Patrol
• logged 270 hours of Marine Patrol
• conducted over 1800 hours of RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) and
• lodged 465 prisoners

Charges laid by East Algoma officers include:

• 2034 Provincial Offences Tickets
• 1733 Highway Traffic Act Tickets and
• 1694 charges of a more serious nature that required Court Briefs to be completed

Manitoulin O.P.P. Close Highway

On Saturday 17 Jan 2009 at around 6:00 pm Manitoulin OPP in consultation with the Ministry of Transportation decided to close Highway 6 between Little Current and Espanola. At the time the highway was experiencing white outs conditions with zero visibility. The area received a large amount of snowfall with high wind. The highway was closed for about 4 hours and was reopened at around 10:00 pm. Police responded to two motor vehicle collisions at the time with no serious injuries.

Manitoulin Operation Lookout Working Well

On Monday the 12 Jan 2009 at 10:55 am Manitoulin OPP responded to a complaint from a motorist advising that Black Chevrolet Blazer was driving erratically northbound on Highway # 6 a few kilometres north of Manitowaning. The driver called *OPP or *677 on the cell phone and spoke to the OPP communications centre who was able to dispatch an officer to intercept the vehicle. The vehicle and driver were located shortly after the call and the officer investigated the concern and complaint. In this case the driver was sober and properly licenced to drive. However a stern warning was giving as to his driving habits and was allowed to continue on his way. Constable Allan Boyd Community Services Officer with the Manitoulin OPP reports that since the start of Operation Lookout on Manitoulin in 2001 officers have dealt with over 1100 calls in regards to erratic or impaired drivers. “With people being the extension of our eyes it makes the highways much safer out there. Many times officers don’t observe this type of driving behaviour because each time a police cruiser is visible people tend to follow the rules of the road and are more attentive. The public see much more problems at times than officers and having someone call and make a report has lead to may people being removed from the highway. So if you see something not right please call 911 or *OPP (*677) from your cell phone and let us know” advised Constable Boyd.

Early Season Snowmobile Deaths - OPP Urge Operators to Exercise Caution

(Northeastern, ON) Recent snowmobiling deaths are tragic reason for police to urge operators to reduce speed when aboard a sled. The sudden impact of the high-speed collisions and the possibility of open water incidents leave riders little in the way of a second chance. Speed and alcohol most often prove to be a deadly mix.

Last year in the North east Region, eight people were killed in motorised snow vehicle incidents. There is still a full season of riding left and the OPP will continue to make trail safety a priority. From Wawa to Kapuskasing through to North Bay, Mattawa and Burks Falls – from Parry Sound, Sudbury and Manitoulin - along the North Shore to the Sault – the OPP will be working hard to curb the snowmobile collision death toll.

“Riding responsibly is a personal choice that must be made every time someone starts up their machine.” states Inspector Garry MacPherson, Unit Commander – Highway Safety Division – North East Region. “Snowmobile operators must use common sense, exercise caution and slow down. It could be a life or death decision. ”

Sled safety is in the hands of the operator. Slow down and see obstacles hidden by the snow - trees and branches on the trail - slow grooming equipment – wildlife and most important, oncoming sleds and other trail users.

Please, think safety on the trails this weekend!