Perth County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have released their February crime data, with mental health calls and sex related offences continuing to be an area of concern for local police.
In February, there were 13 calls about violent crimes, including three for threats, five for assaults or firearm-related, and five for sexual offences. In the first two months of 2025, Perth OPP have laid nine charges for sexually-related offences. Perth County OPP Community Engagement and Media Relations Officer Evan Polini said that all crimes have the police's attention, especially those with a victim.
“Not only do we take these investigations very seriously employing a victim-centred approach, but we also want to ensure the victims of these crimes are receiving the supports they need afterwards,” Polini said. “We work closely with several community partners, including Huron-Perth Victim Services, who offer a variety of services to victims to help them cope with these tragic incidents.”
Another area of concern is mental health calls. Perth OPP responded to 35 in February alone, bringing the year-to-date number to 57. Of the calls, 21 were mental health related, while eight were calls involved suicide.
“One of the programs that has been beneficial in accomplishing this is our Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT),” Polini said. “This team consists of Social Workers and Nurses who attend mental health-related calls with our police officers. This boots on the ground approach allows MCRT workers to complete in-person risk assessments to determine if further psychiatric assessment at a hospital is required or if diversion to beneficial supports in the community is more appropriate.”
Last month, Perth OPP responded to 61 motor vehicle collisions, including one fatal collision. The local OPP also laid 64 speeding charges, 11 impaired charges and seven distracted driving charges.
There were zero drug-related offences and 30 property crime charges laid last month.
“Any crime reduction is a sign that we are moving in the right direction,” Polini said. “One of the responsibilities of the Huron-Perth Community Street Crime Unit is investigating and reducing the instances of drug trafficking within our communities. This unit is comprised of a Detective Sergeant and two Detective Constables who are posted in Perth County. Their investigations and outcomes are one of the reasons for the reduction in charges.”
Police patrolled the county for 1,443 hours in February, with the OPP’s mission to continue to serve citizens, keep everyone safe and uphold the law.
“We are proud to serve Perth County and its citizens and enjoy engaging with them at community events and on daily patrols,” Polini said. “Our goal is to maintain and develop strong relationships between the public and police, and this is an area we will continue to focus on.”