An influx of provincial cash is flowing to Chatham-Kent Police Service to help fight crime.
That’s thanks to $1.188 million in funding under the Community Safety and Policing Grant program.
Two CKPS initiatives will benefit. The CKPS Community Connect Program is receiving close to $700,000 to hire five frontline officers dedicated to building trust and collaboration to prevent crime by working with 26 local partners in the health-care, housing and education sectors. Youth mentorship programs, culturally responsive strategies, neighbourhood forums and the Fast Intervention Risk Specific Team (FIRST) strategy to address problems in real time are among the programs to benefit.
An additional half a million dollars in grant money is going towards boosting technology under Operation Crimewatch. The initiative will use advanced CCTV, analytics and AI tools to combat human trafficking, retail and vehicle theft, as well as other priority crimes.
Operation Crimewatch will also introduce new software for translation, privacy compliance and evidence handling to support police investigations and community transparency.
Chatham-Kent–Leamington MPP Trevor Jones, who made the funding announcement, said the government is proud to invest in policing.
“These initiatives will build stronger partnerships between police and community; improve crisis response and harness new tools to fight crime,” Jones said in a media statement. “By working together, we are making our communities safer and more resilient.”
Chatham-Kent’s projects are among 127 local programs to benefit from $91 million from the Ontario government in 2025-26. The Community Safety and Policing grants enable policing services to deploy frontline officers where they are needed most.
