Stratford Police report rise in traffic enforcement, welcome new constable

Stratford Police Service board chair Martin Ritsma congratulates and shakes hands with new Const. Andrew Maguire, during the March police board meeting, welcoming him to the service after his recent graduation from police college.

The Stratford Police Service March 2026 report highlighted an increase in proactive traffic enforcement, with 312 top traffic tickets issued. That’s up from 277 in February and 155 in January.

“Speaking specifically about some key highlights regarding traffic enforcement, the top five categories of the tickets that we’re issuing in our area in March were speeding, driving while under suspension, careless driving, failing to surrender driver’s licence and no valid permits,” said acting Deputy Chief Jason Clarke.

Across Stratford, St. Marys and Perth South, police responded to 2,134 calls for service and laid 768 charges. Stratford accounted for 1,743 calls, followed by 209 in St. Marys and 182 in Perth South.

Notable Stratford statistics included 90 mental health-related calls, four overdose calls and 38 domestic incidents.

The community resource unit remained active throughout the month, attending training sessions and community events across the region.

Year-to-date projections show a 2.6 per cent increase in calls for service and a 10.1 per cent increase in charges compared to 2025.

“March reflected a strong level of operational activity across all service areas,” said Clarke. “We continued emphasis on proactive traffic enforcement, response to community safety concerns and visible community engagement.”

During the meeting, board chair Martin Ritsma raised concerns about an increase in complaints involving drivers passing stopped school buses with stop arms extended.

Clarke said members of the public are encouraged to report as much detail as possible when submitting complaints.

“To anybody in the community, if you are able to capture a driver’s licence (plate), then that will at least direct us to the owner of the vehicle to investigate,” he said. “Date, time and place, or even a description of the vehicle is also helpful.”

At the same meeting, Const. Andrew Maguire was introduced as the newest member of the Stratford Police Service. A Stratford resident, Maguire attended local schools, played minor sports in the community and went on to study at Georgian College.

He spent eight years working at Source for Sports and three years at Nicholson Concrete before joining police as a special constable in June 2025. He became a police constable in December 2025, graduated from police college in March, and is now assigned to D Platoon.

Ritsma welcomed Maguire, noting his strong local roots.

“It’s not surprising that he’s here in front of us today – a great student, a great athlete and will be a great addition to the service,” he said. “We’re so pleased to have another local individual; it’s wonderful to see our youth homegrown.”