The Thunder Bay Police Service on Friday revealed a new community-focused specialty unit.
The Community Oriented Response (COR) Unit was officially established in January 2020 and is part of the service’s Community Service’s Branch. COR officers are part of a high-visibility unit that will identify specific issues and problem areas of the city and execute projects focused on addressing the root problems.
On Friday, Feb. 21 the service held a special news conference to formally introduce the unit to the public and to further explain its mandate.
“The COR Unit is here to help people feel safe walking in their neighbourhoods,” said Thunder Bay Police Service Deputy Chief Ryan Hughes. “When people notice issues they can contact the police, they can contact their councilors, and this unit will look at the problems and try to develop a plan to address them.”
Because the COR Unit uses a project-based approach, its mandate doesn’t lock it into any one issue.
For example, concerns of increasing vandalism in one of the business cores could lead to a downtown-focused project involving increased foot patrols; while complaints involving drug trafficking within a residential area may guide the COR Unit to introduce a neighbourhood-specific project.
“The advantage of the COR Unit is it’s highly adaptable to the needs of the community,” said Deputy Chief Hughes. “The COR Unit officers adapt to community needs through their ongoing projects.”
Adaptability means COR officers can design a project focused on crime prevention, enforcement or a combination of both strategies depending on the exact nature of the issue.
To report ongoing problems in your neighbourhood, call the Thunder Bay Police Service’s non-emergency line at 684-1200 or use the service’s website contact form here: https://thunderbaypolice.ca/contact-us