Almost 10,000 times this summer, the Orillia OPP found themselves at the sharp end of local life—from sunlit park patrols to the midnight shadows of Colborne Street.
New detachment commander Insp. Todd Landon laid bare the sheer scale during his recent presentation to the Couchiching OPP Detachment Board. Over June, July, and August, officers responded to nearly 6,500 calls within Orillia alone. Oro-Medonte, Severn, and Ramara, smaller but no less demanding, accounted for more than 3,500 additional incidents between them, not to mention over 2,000 provincial cases swirling at the edges.
Under the summer sun, officers put in more than 500 hours of foot patrols in Orillia’s Couchiching Beach Park and busy stretches like West and Front Streets. Patrol boots made less frequent appearances in Severn, Oro-Medonte, and Ramara, as sprawling rural landscapes demanded different policing tactics. “We took it (as) more of a position of community engagement as opposed to just strict enforcement,” Landon explained, underscoring a shift towards dialogue as well as deterrence.
Some problems—like dirt bikers trespassing in Oro-Medonte or panhandlers in Coldwater—drew targeted interventions. Focused patrols emerged directly from resident concerns, supported by data analytics. Officers logged 315 patrol hours, issued 319 speeding tickets, and carried out RIDE checks. In one instance, a single impaired driver found his vehicle impounded and his licence suspended after a stop on Horseshoe Valley Road West.
Criminal incidents didn’t take a holiday. When a break-in struck a Colborne Street business, rapid surveillance and sharp teamwork resulted in an arrest—no small feat in the world of small-town crime. On Monck Road, a serious collision called for a coalition of police, paramedics, and fire crews, a reminder that complex challenges sometimes require all hands on deck.
Through it all, the OPP’s guiding pillars—communication, enforcement, and community safety—remained visible. The summer’s surge in calls told a story not just of crime, but of a community in motion, seeking balance between vigilance and trust. As Orillia’s streets cool into autumn, the questions of safety and service linger, and the OPP readies for whatever comes next.
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Orillia OPP officers responded to nearly 10,000 calls this summer
