King well served by York Regional Police

May 19, 2021 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Editor

Increasing York Regional Police staff in King Township is helping to keep the community one of the safest in the country.
The fifth largest municipal force in the country, YRP is on the streets. And King residents are reaping the benefits.
Number 1 District handles King, along with Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury, serving a population of some 225,000.
The relatively new sub-station at King’s municipal centre runs 24/7 and is manned by 20 constables. Three cars are constantly patrolling King. The office itself is open Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to Superintendent Kelvin Chantiam, 1 District has a total of 198 staff and 18 sector cars on the road at all times. The district handled the second largest volume of citizen calls last year; upwards of 22,074.
The force’s priorities include traffic and crime prevention. The force has situated “decoy” unmanned cruisers throughout the Township at some trouble spots. It has been an effective deterrent.
Last year in King, officers issued 4,600 tickets and gave out 3,600 warnings. There were 130 criminal arrests.
Local roads appear to be safer, if you look at the number of fatalities. In 2020, King had only three road fatalities and none so far in 2021.
The bulk of calls in King include impaired driving, suspicious vehicles, welfare checks and silent alarms.
The superintendent noted most numbers of incidents were down last year, largely due to the pandemic. Road traffic is lighter and more people are at home, curbing residential break-ins.
Officers did respond to a number of Emergency Measures Act calls regarding too many visitors and residential parties.
Pro-active programs such as Road Watch, education and community engagement, help spread the word.
King Mayor Steve Pellegrini noted the Township has a great relationship with YRP and the sub-station is a “great” addition to the community.
He’s thrilled that King is one of the safest communities in York, and in all of Canada.