OPP are hoping to see more close circuit television cameras in downtown Fort Frances.
They’re teaming up with the town on a grant application that will provide up to 200-thousand in funding.
The downtown core has been a hotbed of front-line calls for the OPP in recent years.
In 2019, there were more than 1,200 calls in the downtown core. That was about 40 per cent of all front-line calls that year.
Last year, the number of calls to the downtown area increased and accounted for 45 per cent of all calls.
The OPP’s Melinda Mills says police see a real need for the cameras. She says they can reduce the time it takes to investigate a single incident.
“This would significantly decrease the amount of time required for the police resources and be able to focus the attention where it’s required immediately,” says Mills.
Mills says it would also help in getting convictions in the courts.
Proposed map of where new CCTV cameras would be located. Fort Frances Police Service Board hand out.
The proposal would see cameras located in various positions along Scott Street, its back alleys and portions of Church St. and Portage Avenue.
The town already has cameras in various locations, including the museum, Rainy Lake Square and Civic Centre.
Scott says those have been used in past cases.
The estimated cost to implement the cameras and related equipment ranges between $250,000 and $300,000. There would be some yearly costs as well.
Obtaining the grant is dependant upon town council approving a local share which would be half of the total price tag.
The proposal has not yet gone to council, but Mayor June Caul is supportive.
“To me, this is important enough that we go for the maximum we can get with the best quality we call can get. We all know what it’s been like this last year. It’s been getting worse and worse all the time,” says Caul.
OPP have long advocated for cameras in the downtown area.
Fort Frances council last looked at a proposal in 2005 that would have cost $15,000. The proposal was rejected because of concerns about the cost and privacy.
