OPP report shows crime down, concerns raised at council

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

Brant County OPP’s 2024 Annual Report showed encouraging declines in property crime and traffic fatalities, but councillors pressed police leaders last week about urban crime seeping into rural communities, bail reform, and a noticeable dip in officer presence.

Acting Inspector Jason McTaggart and Jennifer Haley, chair of the County’s OPP Detachment Board, presented the report at council on Tuesday Sept.23. The report detailed a 33 per cent reduction in property crimes last year, falling from 828 incidents in 2023 to 651 in 2024, along with a 57 per cent decrease in fatal collisions. Impaired driving charges also dropped, while youth engagement programs and mental-health response initiatives expanded across the county.

Coun. David Miller asked McTaggart if Brant was seeing more “big city stuff” such as gangs and illegal guns.

“Brant County is still very much a rural community, but we are seeing some of those larger city problems surfacing here; not to the extent as the cities are having, but for example vehicle thefts,” McTaggart said. He pointed to the strong turnout at the community safety night on Sept. 17 as evidence residents are taking prevention seriously. “To your point yes we are seeing little bits of the city in the county, but we are definitely on top of it.”

Miller also raised the issue of bail reform, noting that “a small percentage of people out there commit most of the crimes.” Miller asked McTaggart, “Do you think bail reform will help reduce the amount of crime in brant county.”

Absolutely, responded McTaggart. He cited the 2022 death of Norfolk County OPP Const. Greg Pierzchala, who was killed in the line of duty by someone on release, saying, “That sinks in to me. A member who lost his life by someone who should be locked up.” McTaggart urged councillors to push for stricter bail measures.

Coun. Christine Garneau questioned why policing hours dropped to 108,087 in 2024, down from 114,339 the previous year, and asked how the force is tracking this year.

McTaggart acknowledged the concern and said the detachment’s strategy unit is reviewing the numbers. “I think there is a number of opportunities to explore and provide some explanation to it,” he said. “I am looking into that to provide some context to all of you to understand.”

Coun. John Bell wondered if staffing shortages contributed to the lower presence. McTaggart reassured council that staffing levels are “in good shape” and not the reason for the decline.

Bell also raised speeding complaints from residents. “The number of speeding offences last year were 25 per cent down compared to two years before that. And that seems wrong. I see more and more speeding and a lot of residents are irate about it,” he said.

McTaggart replied that speeding can be “perception based” without radar or speed-monitoring tools. He added that traffic enforcement remains part of officers’ daily duties, but acknowledged “some officers are more efficient at capturing speeders than others.”

Despite the concerns, the annual report outlined strong progress in crime prevention, youth outreach and mental-health partnerships. Haley praised the detachment’s leadership and stability during a year of transition under the new Community Safety and Policing Act, noting the importance of transparency and community trust.