SAFER STREETS COBOURG
COBOURG (June 11, 2025) – The Cobourg Police Service (CPS) is announcing the launch of the Safer Streets Cobourg program, which will take effect on Monday, June 16, 2025. The Safer Streets Cobourg program builds on the fundamental proactive initiatives already underway by CPS while enhancing response to open-air drug use and trespassing to address community safety concerns and the increase in high-frequency calls for service.
“We have prioritized a proactive and collaborative response, using an evidence-based approach to crime, calls for service, and community concerns, holding people accountable while providing support to vulnerable residents. However, the growing concern for visibility of public drug use and the associated risks, including accidental drug poisoning, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and property crime, has led to reports of residents feeling unsafe in parks and public spaces and an increase in calls for service in high impact areas. Through the Safer Streets Cobourg program, we will enhance our presence, increase bail compliance efforts, and reintroduce a more assertive enforcement approach under the Trespass to Property Act and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to help address the public consumption of illegal substances where the safety and well-being of others are at risk. Safer Streets Cobourg is about ensuring people feel safe in our community.” – Chief Paul VandeGraaf, Cobourg Police Service.
Key Elements of the Safer Streets Cobourg Program:
- A continued focus on Warrant Apprehension and Bail Compliance Program and enforcement against illegal drug trafficking
- Continued police presence through early morning and evening foot patrols and enhanced response to mental health calls for service through M-HEART
- Dedicated officers in the afternoon and evening focusing on targeted enforcement and responding to frequent calls for service in high-impact areas including Downtown Cobourg, surrounding area, parks and public spaces throughout Cobourg.
- Enforcement of open-air drug use in parks, sidewalks, and commercial zones within the downtown core and other public spaces throughout Cobourg —officers may arrest and charge individuals observed to be actively using illegal substances in open spaces in alignment with the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and the provisions of the new Safer Municipalities Act, 2025
- Launch of the Trespass Authority Agent Program for businesses
- Continued collaboration with Municipal Law Enforcement for by-law enforcement
- Enhanced Crime Prevention Programming
CPS will continue to collect data and adjust the Safer Streets Cobourg program approach as the landscape evolves, and community needs and crime trends shift.
CPS acknowledges that enforcement alone cannot solve the complex and layered challenges currently facing the community. The Safer Streets Cobourg Program will be implemented in close partnership with municipal partners and engagement with local outreach organizations and social agencies.
Background
Between November 1, 2024, and May 2025, police responded to 1,272 calls for service in the key areas of focus, including Downtown Cobourg, surrounding parks and neighbourhoods. The top five calls for service were for unwanted persons, police assistance, suspicious persons or vehicles, police information, and trespassing. During the same time frame in the same area, officers generated an additional 1,527 proactive calls for service, with the top five call types being property checks, foot patrols, well-being checks, warrants, and M-HEART calls.
With the natural trend of increased calls during the warmer summer months, coupled with an increase in reports from residents and business owners feeling unsafe, and the anticipated release of regulations under the Safer Municipalities Act, CPS developed the Safer Streets Cobourg program to address these concerns effectively.
Program Elements
Trespass Authority Agent Program
The Trespass Authority Agent Program (Agent Program) empowers CPS officers to act on behalf of property owners to enforce the Trespass to Property Act. This initiative allows officers to direct individuals to leave private properties and, if necessary, remove them when the property owner is not present. The program is designed to support property owners in maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Eligibility and Registration
Commercial business owners and landlords within the Town of Cobourg are invited to participate in the program.
How to Register
To register, business owners and landlords within the Town of Cobourg must complete the official authorization form and submit the original copy to the Cobourg Police Service at 107 King Street West, Cobourg, Ontario. Only forms received in their original format will be accepted.
Once processed, the authorization grants CPS officers the authority to enforce the Trespass to Property Act on the property. This authorization remains valid until revoked by the property owner or until there is a change in property ownership.
Click HERE to download the authorization form.
About the Trespass to Property Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21 | ontario.ca
Under the Trespass to Property Act, individuals who enter or remain on private property without permission, or engage in prohibited activities, may be subject to enforcement actions. Property owners have the right to direct individuals to leave their premises. The Act provides a framework for property owners to control access and activities on their land, thereby enhancing safety and security.
Trespass to Property Act section 2(1)(b) gives the property occupier the authority to extend authorization for persons other than the occupier to direct persons to leave a premises. Visit https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90t21 to learn more about the Trespass to Property Act.
Warrant Apprehension and Bail Compliance Program
The Warrant Apprehension and Bail Compliance program is part of a broader strategy for ongoing and integrated bail compliance efforts, ensuring adherence to conditions and reducing the risk of reoffending while improving community safety and supporting victims of crime. Efforts in this area will continue in 2025. They will be augmented through the SSE as an integrated as well as overtime-funded program.
Enhanced Police Presence
In November 2024, Dynamic Patrol transitioned to an enhanced presence model with patrols in the morning and evening hours in areas surrounding 310 Division Street and the downtown core. Under the SSE program, dedicated officers will maintain an enhanced presence through ongoing patrols (foot, bike, and cruiser) throughout the Town of Cobourg, with the addition of collaborative coordination with partners and specialty units, including but not limited to M-HEART and Municipal Law Enforcement, to provide support and address specific non-police issues.
Trespass Authority Agent Program
The Trespass Authority Agent Program empowers CPS officers to act on behalf of property owners to enforce the Trespass to Property Act. This initiative allows officers to direct individuals to leave private properties and, if necessary, remove them when the property owner is not present. The program is designed to support property owners in maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Eligibility and Registration
Commercial business owners and landlords within the Town of Cobourg are invited to participate in the program.
How to Register
To register, business owners and landlords within the Town of Cobourg must complete the official authorization form and submit the original copy to the Cobourg Police Service at 107 King Street West, Cobourg, Ontario. Only forms received in their original format will be accepted.
Once processed, the authorization grants CPS officers the authority to enforce the Trespass to Property Act on the property. This authorization remains valid until revoked by the property owner or until there is a change in property ownership.
CLICK HERE to download the authorization form.
About the Trespass to Property Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21 | ontario.ca
Under the Trespass to Property Act, individuals who enter or remain on private property without permission, or engage in prohibited activities, may be subject to enforcement actions. Property owners have the right to direct individuals to leave their premises. The Act provides a framework for property owners to control access and activities on their land, thereby enhancing safety and security.
Trespass to Property Act section 2(1)(b) gives the property occupier the authority to extend authorization for persons other than the occupier to direct persons to leave a premises. Visit https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90t21 to learn more about the Trespass to Property Act.