Chatham-Kent (CK) police say they're answering the bell when it comes to the latest public concerns and crime trends.
The 2025 police community survey showed drug activity, homelessness, property crime, and traffic safety as top concerns among the public.
CK police said they realigned some departments to improve investigative capacity and allow frontline officers to focus more on proactive policing.
According to police, the Intelligence Unit has doubled to 10 specialized officers in 2025, leading to search warrants increasing from 17 in 2024 to 40 by September 2025.
Police data showed drug and stolen property seizures also rose from nearly $815,000 in 2024 to almost $27 million by September 2025.
CK Police Chief Kirk Earley told CK News Today that the massive jump in seizures was due to the dismantling of three large cannabis grow operations operating outside of their Health Canada licences.
The Traffic Unit has also expanded to address aggressive driving, impaired driving, and high-risk intersections.
In 2025, police noted they laid 4,334 provincial offence charges and made 143 impaired driving arrests, a 32 per cent increase.
Realigning patrols and a new downtown Chatham patrol to improve coverage in the core has also led to encouraging results, said police. They noted that foot patrols increased from 900 in 2024 to 2,196 last year.
Police property checks also jumped by 137 per cent, leading to 36 per cent reduction in reported break and enters.
Frontline capacity is increasing as well, according to police. They said each platoon will include four supervisors, 24 constables, and three special constables by mid-2026 to strengthen coverage and improve response times across the municipality.
CK police added they have also launched a new pilot position focused on addiction and designed to connect vulnerable individuals with treatment, recovery supports, and community services.
Click here to view the full survey.
