Any general inquiries regarding COVID-19 can be answered by contacting the City’s COVID-19 Line at covidviolations@brantford.ca  or call the City’s Customer Contact Center at 519-759-4150 

 

As the situation related to COVID-19 continues to quickly evolve, the Brantford Police Service has been working closely with our City of Brantford Emergency Management partners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the County of Brant, Six Nations, Brant County Health Unit and the Brant Community Healthcare System.

We have been taking advice from public health officials and making decisions that balance our need to provide community safety with maintaining the health and safety of our members.

Policing personnel are conducting active screening, in the course of our duties, for potential risks of COVID-19 with everyone entering our police facility to ensure the safety and well-being of all other individuals.

 

If you have an emergency – an immediate threat to life or property and/or risk to public safety – please call 911.

Non-emergencies can be reported by calling 519-756-0113.

Many incidents can be reported using our online reporting system  http://www.brantfordpolice.ca such as Damage to Vehicle or Property under $5,000, Driving Complaints, Traffic Issues or Concerns, Graffiti, or Theft or Fraud Under $5,000.

In an effort to protect the health and well-being of our members, we are asking members of the public to refrain from attending the station unless in an emergency situation. Please note that should you need to provide payment for services such as a vulnerable sector check, cash transactions are not being accepted at this time. Payment can be made via debit, mastercard or visa. 

 

At this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our office is not accepting in-person applications for police checks or facilitating civilian fingerprints. During this time, we encourage all applicants to apply for police checks using the Online Police Background Records Check portal. This is located in the "Useful Links" box. All record checks that pass authentication will be automatically mailed out when completed.

Please note: If you are under the age of 21 or have limited credit history, you can still pay for and submit your application online to get the process started. If you fail to authenticate or require fingerprints, we will not be able to complete your application until the office is fully operational again. You may show your employer/volunteer organization your receipt, as proof of your application, and have them refer to our website for confirmation of our limited access.

Until further notice, previously submitted requests, will NOT be available for pick up. Exceptions will be made for those requiring a Vulnerable Sector Check under emergency circumstances.

 

NEW: Effective November 1, 2018, the new Police Records Check Reform Act is in effect. Due to changes imposed by the legislation, the Brantford Police Service will no longer accept and process police record checks for persons under the age of 18, UNLESS the applicant is applying for a position with a government agency (federal, provincial, or municipal). Eligible young persons must apply in person, not our on-line process.

 

Please note: you MUST be a current resident of the City of Brantford (taxes paid to the City of Brantford) and your address must be policed by the Brantford Police Service in order to apply through this Police Service. If you are unsure if you are eligible to apply through the Brantford Police Service, please call us at 519-756-0113 ext 3336 for verification as NO REFUNDS will be issued. 

 

Information about Vulnerable Sector Checks can be found online at www.brantfordpolice.ca  or by calling 519-756-0113.

Please contact the Property Unit Clerks by calling 519-756-0113 ext. 2217 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m Monday to Friday regarding any questions you may have and to arrange a suitable time to pick up your property.

Yes. However, the Collision Reporting Centre has amended hours of operation to 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and are now closed on Saturdays until further notice.

Screening methods have been put in place to ensure the health and safety of the public and their employees. These may include instructing citizens to remain outside in their vehicles to await a CRC staff member, putting restrictions on who can attend, increased sanitization, not handling customer documents, and encouraging social distancing. 

 

Contraventions of the Emergency Management and Civil Protections Act (EMPCA) and/or City of Brantford By-law violations will result in the attendance of a City By-law Officer or Brant County Health Unit Inspection Officer, supported by a member of Brantford Police Service or Ontario Provincial Police (if warranted).

Should the City of Brantford institute any additional by-laws, they will be enforced by the City of Brantford’s By-law Enforcement Officers and supported by Police, if warranted.

The severity of each infraction in relation to the potential risk to public health and the spread of COVID-19 will be considered when taking enforcement action. Consistent with existing enforcement approaches, a graduated approach to compliance will be implemented. This could include providing educational messaging or warnings to members of the public around the emergency orders and, if compliance is not obtained, the issuance of a ticket under the Part I of the Provincial Offences Act or a summons under Part III of the Act.

On March 25, 2020 the Government of Canada invoked the Quarantine Act. This requires all travelers returning to Canada – with the exception of what the federal government is calling "essential workers” – enter a mandatory 14-day period of isolation, regardless of whether any symptoms of COVID-19 are present.

On March 28, 2020 the Ontario government issued a new emergency order under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to prohibit organized public events and social gatherings of more than five people, effective immediately. On March 30th, 2020, the City of Brantford issued an order to temporarily close all City-owned playgrounds and other outdoor amenities effective immediately.

 

For more information about what the City can enforce in priority order, please visit: http://www.Brantford.ca/covid19Violations

Physical distancing of being two metres (six feet) apart from another person is required to control the spread of COVID-19. People should avoid crowds and practice physical distance everywhere, including in open establishments, such as grocery stores. 

For more information on how to practice physical distancing, visit the BCHU website at: https://www.bchu.org/coronavirus

 

In order to decrease transmission of COVID-19, all residents are reminded to practice social distancing. This involves taking steps to minimize close contact with others, including:

•Avoiding crowded places and non-essential gatherings of 5 or more people 

•Avoiding common greetings, such as handshakes

•Limiting contact with people at higher risk (e.g. older adults and those in poor health)

•Keeping a distance of at least two arms lengths (approximately two metres or six feet) from others

•Washing hands and often touched spaces frequently 

Please be mindful of the members of our community who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. Social distancing is proven to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of illness.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, the Ontario government has ordered the immediate, but temporary closure of all non-essential workplaces or businesses. A full list of essential workplaces which are allowed to stay open is available here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/list-essential-workplaces

If you have concerns that a business or service is still open when it should not be, please contact the Brant County Health Unit at 519-753-4937 and press '1', if your complaint involves any of the following businesses/services:

•Child Care Facilities

•Recreational Camps

•Personal Services Settings (including mobile and home-based settings)

•Tanning Salons

•Food Premises, including restaurants and bars

•Grocery Stores

•Farmers’ Markets

•Places of worship

•Theatres and Cinemas (including drive-ins)

•Trailer Parks

•Schools (Public and Private)

For more information about what the City can enforce in priority order, please visit: http://www.Brantford.ca/covid19Violations

Q. What are Police doing to ensure businesses and their property are being protected?

BPS remains committed to providing essential services throughout the community. We recognize that many businesses have temporarily closed due to COVID-19. As always, we will continue proactive patrols and respond to calls for service to ensure the safety and security of our community. If members of the public observe suspicious activity or individuals, near or close to a business, they are encouraged to call police immediately. Reporting crime and providing relevant information allows our investigators to identify suspects and solve crime.

The Province has both an online and telephone option for the public to report incidents of price gouging. Online reports can be made at: https://www.ontario.ca/form/report-price-gouging-related-covid-19 or, consumers can call Consumer Protection Ontario at 1-800-889-9768 between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Monday to Friday.

Companies and workplaces that have questions about the temporary closure of all non-essential workplaces related order can call Ontario’s Stop the Spread Business Information Line at 1-888-444-3659

If you have COVID-19 concerns or questions about your workplace or construction site, please call the Ministry of Labour’s Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008

Brantford Police Services reminds the public to be extra vigilant when it comes to those trying to sell or provide products or services associated with COVID-19. Reliable, accurate and up-to-date information is provided through local public health officials. Anyone who believes they have been approached or contacted by someone who is misrepresenting themselves in an effort to sell goods or services should report this to Brantford Police online at http://www.brantfordpolice.ca

 

 

Brantford Police Service members have been provided with the same direction as the public when it comes to travel, self-isolation, and self-monitoring.

It is not in the interest of community safety for us to disclose our exact deployment numbers but we can say, at this time, this direction has impacted an extremely small number of members and we have not had to make any changes to our frontline policing services.

Prior to COVID-19, the Brantford Police Service had plans in place to address staffing needs during a public crisis or emergency. These plans include repurposing of resources, modifying members’ shifts, and adjusting our service delivery model. All of these steps would allow us to maintain public safety and respond to emergency calls for service. We have not had to make these adjustments to date.

We will not speak to any specific cases but we can say that every person in police custody is screened at least three times: upon arrest, at the station, and again when they are transported to court by a supervisor. These screenings include such questions as: do you have symptoms, have you travelled, have you been quarantined, etc. We continue to work with our emergency management partners to ensure our screening is the most effective it can be in determining the well-being of people in our custody to prevent possible exposure to our members and those who work along side us in the justice system.

Regarding releasing people rather than remanding, if we can release someone from custody we will, but our priority is on the safety of the public. If necessary, we have and will continue to seek opportunities to limit exposure to those who are in custody and will remain so throughout the court process.

 

The role of the police during a pandemic or emergency situation continues to be focused on ensuring public safety, providing public information and education, and enforcing the law in a thoughtful manner. Municipal, provincial, or federal governments may invoke legislation that, in some cases, provides the police with new powers of authority for a defined period of time, usually until the problem being addressed is resolved.

Complaints received by the police about groups or establishments breaching various orders could involve, but are not necessarily limited to, the following actions:

•Receive and assess the complaint to determine if there is a violation of any legislation and/or regulations and if police, public health officials or other entities (such as bylaw officers) are required.

•If a violation of the legislation and/or regulations has been assessed, charges may be laid. However, emphasis is being placed on education to ensure compliance. Enforcement is generally considered as a last resort and is likely to be focused on repeat offenders.

•If a party is found to be guilty of an offence, they could be subject to fines and/or jail time depending on the legislation. 

When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that the police may be called upon to enforce new authorities that have been invoked by various levels of government. There are numerous discussions taking place across the country to determine the best approach to this evolving situation.

 

Ontario has launched a dedicated web page to provide up to date public information with a summary of data from Public Health Ontario that offers expanded information every day at 10:30 a.m. https://covid-19.ontario.ca/

 

For local information, please visit the Brant County Health Unit website, undated daily at 11am: http://www.bchu.org

 

Ontario’s COVID-19 Self-Assessment Tool: https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus