Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
More than 30 wanted people have been arrested by the Woodstock Police Service.
Over the last 30 days, the Community Response Unit (CRU) along with the assistance of uniform patrol arrested 32 individuals with a combined 63 charges as part of an enforcement project that focused on outstanding arrest warrants.
Some of the charges associated with the outstanding arrest warrants included intimate partner assault, assault causing bodily harm, assaulting police, possession of a controlled substance, failure to comply with a release order and breach of both probation and an undertaking.
Woodstock Police Inspector Jamie Taylor, who spent most of his policing career with the Stratford Police Service, said this is his first experience with a warrant drive in Woodstock.
“In my time here, this is the first time we have run a project like this. This is not to say that we are not out looking for wanted parties all the time and being proactive in our community.”
He added the work behind the scenes was initiated by the CRU.
“This included going through all the names of individuals who had outstanding warrants with our service. Through investigative techniques, we were able to track down the location of several of them. Operational plans were put in place to ensure that our mission statement was accomplished and that the arrest of these individuals was done safely for the public, the police and the subjects.”
This project was a proactive approach to ensure police are maintaining public safety.
“In many of these outstanding arrest warrants, there are victims. We want to ensure that we have done everything we can to ensure public safety. We also want to ensure that we hold people accountable for their actions,” he explained.
Some of those wanted on outstanding charges were arrested outside of the city, something Taylor said goes into the planning of such an operation.
“Outside agencies were aware that we were in their jurisdiction actively looking for these wanted individuals and were included in our operational plans.”
Taylor said the police service takes the safety of city residents seriously and they want criminals to be arrested and serve their time behind bars.
“It feels good to know that our officers are being proactive and doing whatever it takes to ensure public safety. The message to our community is that we are committed to public safety and will ensure our justice system holds individuals accountable for their actions. We are working in partnership with our community and want to remind them to call the police or Crime Stoppers to help make our streets safer. Reporting crimes or suspicious activities can help police solve cases and prevent future crimes.”
He added several of the people arrested were held in custody pending a bail hearing. If the warrants were endorsed, then they were released with a future court date with conditions they must abide by.
In 2021, the Woodstock Police Service created the CRU. It consists of one sergeant and two constables. The sergeant supervises the constables, traffic officer, canine unit, CORE Beat Team and community service officer.
The CRU takes a proactive approach to policing. They focus on policing initiatives and targeted enforcement based on community concerns, crime trends, and in identified hot spots within the city.
If you have any information about any individual who is wanted on outstanding charges you can contact the Woodstock Police Service at 519-537-2323 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.oxfordcrimestoppers.com.
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