Council approves extra policing for weekends

LEAMINGTON — Leamington Council has approved the hiring of OPP paid duty officers to patrol the Leamington waterfront every weekend this summer.

According to CAO Peter Neufeld, during the summer of 2020, staff who were cleaning washrooms and doing maintenance at Seacliff Beach were experiencing some conflict with patrons and were hindered in doing their jobs safely and efficiently.

Once OPP officers were put in place, it was considerably easier for the staff at Seacliff Park to perform their duties. The officers will also be there to deter any overly-large gatherings.

With the recent opening of the splash pad, it’s expected that Seacliff Park will get that much busier and the beach will be teeming with sunbathers as well.

The officers will patrol on Fridays from 5-10 pm, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 10 pm, and on statutory holidays from noon to 10 pm. The total cost to the municipality would be approximately $71,000, which will be mostly covered by the COVID-19 Recovery Grant.

Council voted unanimously to accept the recommendation and contract the OPP officers through September 10, unless COVID restrictions lift to the point where they are considered no longer necessary.