Niagara Regional Police chief Bryan MacCulloch says the state of emergency in Ontario and province-wide closures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic will not affect police operations.
“While the (emergency) declaration has wide-reaching effects and will no doubt assist in containing the spread of the COVID-19 virus, I wanted to assure our community that this declaration does not mean a change to our police operations,” MacCulloch said in a media release Tuesday.
“As an essential service, the community will continue to see our officers on patrol and can still expect a response to their calls for assistance.”
He said police districts will remain open, though members of the public are being asked to consider alternatives such as online processes for reporting crime, obtaining record checks, copies of reports, record suspensions, fingerprint destruction, etc.
“We are following medical direction in terms of best practice for personal protective equipment for our members and continue to echo the recommendations of health officials to follow proper hygiene and practice social distancing,” MacCulloch said.
“This is a rapidly changing situation that we are continuing to evolve and adapt to, but I can assure the residents of Niagara, that the Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to ensuring their continued safety. I am immensely proud of our members, both sworn and civilian, for their professionalism and dedication as we work through the unprecedented impact that COVID-19 both is having on our community in Niagara and around the world.”