Friday afternoon from 4-5pm members of the Brockville Police Service will be on hand at the Real Canadian Superstore to stuff one of their police cars full of groceries for the Food Bank.
Staff from the Brockville Police Service will be on hand to assist persons who wish to donate groceries by packing the donations into a Brockville Police cruiser and in support of area food banks.
Please come out and support area food drive Friday afternoon and help those local families in need.
The Human Services Justice Coordinating Committee of Leeds and Grenville will be presenting a Youth Mental Health and Addictions Awareness forum tonight at the St. Mary’s Library from 6pm-8pm.
The public forum was a jury recommendation of the May 2014 Coroner’s Inquest into the death of local resident Matthew Roke. Matthew was an active youth in the community when he and his family started noticing signs that he was not well in his late teens and early twenties. He became increasingly frightened and afraid to leave his house; his sleep was disrupted and would not sleep at night. Matt and his family struggled to find the right help for Matt in the local mental health community right until the time of his passing.
After last year’s forum and hearing Jody Roke speak about her son’s life, participants felt this year’s forum should concentrate on Youth Mental Health Services in Leeds and Grenville. This year speakers from Children’s Mental Health of Leeds and Grenville, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Addictions and Mental Health, RNJ Youth Services, Connections, will present. As well, Mark Heffernan of the Brockville Police Service will speak about a proactive Community Oriented Patrol program operated by the Brockville Police Service to help those in need locally.
Several agencies will have displays and people present including Connect Youth, Municipal Drug Strategy of South Grenville, Making Play Possible, Family and Children’s Services of Leeds and Grenville and Victim’s Services of Leeds and Grenville.
The Forum is open to all parents and caregivers, youth and community members and agencies who serve our youth. Cost is free.
During the week of September 18-23rd several members of the Brockville Police Service will be joining their colleagues from across Ontario in participating in the annual National Peace Officers Memorial Run (NPOMR) and the Canadian Police Memorial Ride to Remember leading up to the Canadian Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony on Parliament Hill on Sunday September 24th at 11 a.m.
This year’s run has special significance for local law enforcement as it marks the 10 year anniversary of the passing of RCMP Constable Douglas Scott in the line of duty in the Baffin Island hamlet of Kimmirut, Nunavut. Scott is originally from Lyn and went to St. Lawrence College is being remembered during the stops by the Runners and Riders at a ceremony at approximately 5:30 pm. Friday September 22nd, at Court House Green. Members of the Scott family are joining the Ride to Remember making the trek from the Ontario Police College to Ottawa in remembrance of Doug.
National Peace Officers Memorial Run
The Brockville Police Service will be represented again this year in the annual National Peace Officer’s Memorial Run (NPOMR) which is taking place September 21st -23rd this year. Constable Dan Hall, Special Constable Sierra Cauley and Acting Staff Sergeant Tom Fournier will all take turns in the 460km relay which starts in Toronto at the Queen’s Park Ontario Peace Officer’s Memorial and finishes at the Canadian Peace Officer’s Memorial on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. They will be assisted by Constable Nicole Henri who shuttles the runners between their relay points and ensures they arrive on time to run with their relay group.
The runners will then participate in the 40th annual Canadian Peace Officers Memorial Service on Sunday September 24th on Parliament Hill.
The National Peace Officers Memorial Run (NPOMR) began in 2005 when members of the Peel Regional Police decided to raise awareness of the annual Police and Peace Memorial Service on Parliament Hill and pay tribute to those officers who had so valiantly given their lives in service of their community and country. This year marks the 13 year anniversary of the run.
As in past years, the run will stop in Brockville on Friday September 22nd for the night. All runners will meet at Highway 2 West at the Lyn Road at 5pm for the short run along King St to Court House after which a short service will be held on the Court House grounds. Members of the public are invited to join the runners during the run from Lyn Rd to Court House and to come out along the route and show their support to the runners as they pass.
Participating officers raise money for the Memorial by selling Memorial Run shirts, but NPOMR also accepts donations and sponsorships. For more information please visit the National Peace Officers Memorial Run website at www.npomr.org
Canadian Police Officers Memorial Ride to Remember
The Canadian Police Memorial Ride to Remember is also taking place leading up to the Canadian Peace Officers Memorial Service on Sunday September 24th. Cyclists will begin their 700km journey on Wednesday September 20th, 2017 at the Ontario Police College and meet up with the runners at the Queen’s Park Police Memorial in Toronto the following day for a morning ceremony before making their way east.
This year the Brockville Police Service will have four cyclists participating in the ride. The team led by Sergeant Andrew Harvie will consist of Detective Laurie Bennett, Constable Mark Chicoine and Brockville Police Chaplain Jonathan Zinck. They will again be joined by Constable Joel Darling of the Gananoque Police Service. Constable David Jeggo will assist he cyclists by driving in the escort and equipment vehicles along the route providing support along the way.
The Brockville Cyclists will leave a day early for the run and cycle from Niagara to the Ontario Police College to join the other cyclists from across the province and adding another approximately 200 km to their journey.
The Police Memorial Ride to Remember will also stop in Brockville on Friday September 22nd at the Canadian Tire Store on Parkedale Avenue in Brockville at 5:00 pm where there will be a brief ceremony and barbeque. Canadian Tire is a generous sponsor of this year’s ride to remember and through their local JumpStart program will be awarding bicycles to selected area youth.
Brockville Stop for Cyclists and Runners
The City of Brockville is a popular stop for runners and cyclists participating in the Memorial Run and Ride to Remember who often comment how warm and friendly the community is toward the participants and how nice the waterfront is. The Brockville Police Service thanks everyone in the Brockville area for their continued support and invites everyone to join the cyclists and runners along the route or to participate in the ceremonies at the Canadian Tire Store on Parkedale Avenue and Court House Green.
The Brockville Police Service is proud to report that Sgt. Andrew Harvie has been awarded a certificate of commendation by the Governor General of Canada.
“On behalf of his Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, I am pleased to inform you that a certificate of commendation has been awarded to Sgt. Andrew Harvie in recognition of your actions following an incident in Brockville, on October 15th, 2015.”
Sgt. Harvie without hesitation entered the frigid water of the St Lawrence River moments after a vehicle had submerged at the Home Street Boat ramp. Sgt. Harvie after repeated attempts to open doors and break the side windows of the submerged vehicle successfully broke the rear window and rescued the lone female occupant from the vehicle.
“We could not be more proud of Sgt. Harvie for his actions on October 15th, 2015 and in his receipt of this award. Sgt. Harvie is a leader in our organization and we are grateful for his dedication to service in our community. We would also like to thank St. John Ambulance for their nomination of Sgt. Harvie and their continued work in our community.” – Chief Scott Fraser
Pictured above: (l to r) Doug Labron, Sgt. Andrew Harvie, Chief Scott Fraser
Phishing Scam
The word phishing comes from the analogy that Internet scammers are using email lures to ‘fish’ for passwords and financial data from the sea of Internet users.
Phishing, also called “brand spoofing”; is the creation of email messages and Web pages that are replicas of existing, legitimate sites and businesses. These Web sites and emails are used to trick users into submitting personal, financial, or password data. These emails often ask for information such as credit card numbers, bank account information, social insurance numbers, and passwords that will be used to commit fraud.
The goal of criminals using brand spoofing is to lead consumers to believe that a request for information is coming from a legitimate company. In reality it is a malicious attempt to collect customer information for the purpose of committing fraud.
Often these ‘phishing’ emails will contain spelling errors or ask you to respond to a web browser account with a hotmail, gmail, or yahoo email account which are sure signs the email is fraudulent.
Do not respond to any emails requesting personal or financial information and never give out your password online. If you have any questions about the email you have received please contact your local financial institution and ask questions about it before responding.
March is Fraud prevention month and the Brockville Police would like to advise the public of reports we have received this month of fraudulent schemes which have been reported:
Canada Revenue Agency scam is back.
Brockville Police are again receiving reports from local residents reporting they are receiving phone calls from callers pretending to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and claiming an audit has identified discrepancies from past years filed taxes and repayment is required immediately. The fraudster will threaten consumers that failure to pay will result in additional fees or worse the police will issue a warrant and arrest you. Fraudsters will request payment by a money service business or by pre-paid cards or gift cards.
Just a reminder to residents:
1) Canada Revenue Agency uses registered mail to contact consumers
2) Contact Canada Revenue first to confirm you owe back taxes.
3) Never provide personal information over the phone. Ask who is calling and document the conversation
4) Canada Revenue never requests payment by gift cards
Romance Scams
In general romance scams involve the victim and the fraudster meeting over a social media or dating site. The fraudster will gain the trust of the victim through various displays of affection. While the fraudster is usually located in a faraway country either working or serving in the military eventually they want to meet the victim in person. It is at this time, the fraudster will seek financial assistance of the victim either for travel costs or to get out of the country they are in. Other variations include; a medical emergency, car accident or family emergency in which they need financial assistance.
Some incidents have also occurred at the local level where the victims actually out on a date and meet the fraudster who gives a false name and the victim later finds money or jewelry stolen from their home in addition to being tricked out of their money.
Often these occurrences go unreported because the victim’s do not wish to come forward because they were tricked. The Brockville Police are currently investigating two such fraudulent scams from February and in one of these incidents, the victim lost almost $26 000.
Warning signs include:
1) Talking about a friend or loved in another country that is coming to visit and needs help
2) Mentions of Western Union or Money Gram
3) Frequenting the bank more often and making unusual transactions
4) Large wire transfer to foreign countries
Children will be out of school soon for Christmas break. Ice thickness is not where it needs to be for walking and other activities. The recent snow can provide a false sense of security.
Please stay off the ice, recent and forecasted temperatures are not going to improve conditions. If you observe others on these surfaces, please call police.
On the 24th of November, Police received and attended to several reports of motor vehicle collisions. Police are reminding drivers to slow down and leave extra space between vehicles especially when weather and road conditions worsen during the winter months. Drive safe!
This year, the week of November 6 to 12, 2016, has been designated Crime Prevention Week in Ontario.
This year’s provincial theme is “Planning Together for Safer Communities”. It promotes a collective responsibility for community safety and well-being planning and emphasizes the importance of a collaborative process that engages a variety of sectors at the local level.
Our campaign theme this year focuses on financial crimes and fraud. Our goal is to raise awareness on the various ways you can be victimized and provide tips on how to prevent yourself and loved ones. Our campaign theme is “Know Who You’re Dealing With….”
During the week we will be presenting Elder Abuse information to medical professionals to assist them in identifying the signs of elder abuse.
On Tuesday we will be at the 1000 Islands Mall from 1:00-3:00pm with an information booth to educate the public on current scams.
On Wednesday our volunteers will be handing out information pamphlets to businesses to raise awareness of scams targeted to businesses.
The Brockville Police would like to wish everyone a very fun and safe Halloween!
In doing so the service would also like to remind residents of a few safety tips for both trick-or-treaters and drivers:
Halloween Safety:
Driver’s Tips:
Happy Halloween !!