Thunder Bay Police Deputy Chief Ryan Hughes, centre, introduces the six-officer Community Oriented Response Unit.
You may have noticed more police officers in certain areas as part of a new unit.
Thunder Bay Police introduced their Community Oriented Response or COR unit on Friday, which has been at work since January 1st.
Deputy Chief Ryan Hughes explains the six-officer unit uses a “project-based approach” to tackle specific issues as they arise.
Hughes says the COR unit has been focusing on the Thunder Centre.”There was a lot of complaints about panhandling, aggressive panhandling where people were coming up and knocking on people’s windows. That was one of the main projects off the bat,” Hughes explains.
The unit has also looked into prostitution issues on the south side in the Ogden Street area, which Hughes says were brought to their attention in December.
Constable Taxios Milionis is part of the unit, which he says gives them a chance to focus on specific issues instead of being “a slave to the radio.”
“In this unit here, while we still pay attention to what’s going on in the rest of the city to assist where we need to, the six of us can concentrate whatever issues that need to be dealt with at hand, whatever projects we have on the go,” Milionis explains.
He feels the unit has already had an effect since they started patrols. “We’ve had businesses approach us, citizens approach us, saying how they’re seeing a difference in certain areas. They go shopping, they’re not seeing as many panhandlers, they’re not seeing as much disturbances and disruptions by the usual individuals that cause grief for others,” Milionis points out.
