JASON SETNYK
The Cornwall Police Service handled a record number of calls for service in 2025 while increasing enforcement efforts, expanding community programs, and making significant seizures of drugs and firearms, according to its 2025 Annual Report presented to the Cornwall Police Service Board by Deputy Chief Chad Maxwell.
“It’s a real pleasure to be able to present the 2025 annual report,” Maxwell said, while recognizing the work of Communications Coordinator Rodney Wilson and the service’s employees. “All the work in this document does not take place without the hard work of men and women who are serving each and every day and night. That is our officers and our civilian police professionals.”
The report shows the service responded to 24,485 calls for service in 2025, the highest level recorded in the past five years. Maxwell noted that part of the increase reflects the inclusion of traffic occurrences in the service’s reporting, but also points to growing demands on police resources.
“Our focus is really the community,” Maxwell said. “It’s about providing the community with the service, but it’s also about having an impact.” The Cornwall Police Service employs 180 people, including sworn officers, civilian staff, special constables, part-time employees, and auxiliary members.
Enforcement activity increased significantly during the year. Charges laid rose by 28.5 per cent to 5,672, while arrests increased 7.5 per cent to 2,583. Road safety enforcement also returned to pre-pandemic levels, with provincial offence notices increasing by nearly 82 per cent and warnings rising more than 42 per cent.
Mental health-related calls continued an upward trend, reaching 1,113 occurrences in 2025. Maxwell said the data helped justify the launch of a second Mobile Crisis Response Team. “The mental health slide points out the number of occurrences where police have been interacting and dealing with persons in crisis,” he said. “Following the data, and with the board’s support, this is why we launched the second mobile crisis response team.”
The report also highlights ongoing concerns around hate-motivated incidents. While Maxwell noted that hate-related occurrences have increased over the past several years, he said the rise is partly attributable to improved identification and reporting.
One of the report’s most notable sections focuses on strategic enforcement and organized crime investigations. In 2025, the service laid 559 firearms-related charges, seized 72 real firearms and 45 imitation firearms, laid 200 drug charges, seized more than $2.2 million worth of illegal drugs, and recovered nearly $100,000 in cash.
Maxwell emphasized that the service’s drug enforcement strategy has shifted away from simple possession cases toward larger organized crime investigations. The annual report also documents the results of Project FESTER, a major joint-forces operation involving numerous police agencies. The investigation resulted in more than 700 charges, the seizure of 35 firearms, and more than $2 million worth of drugs.
Beyond enforcement, the report highlights a range of community engagement initiatives, including Bikes & Badges, Kids, Cops & Fishing, Culture Fest, school outreach programs, and the Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI). “We all want to see young people seeing themselves in us,” Maxwell said while discussing school-based engagement events. “We want young people to see this as a potential career down the road and a place where they may belong.”
The report also notes the retirement of accredited facility dog Joy after a decade of service and the introduction of Oliver, a new facility dog trained to support children and others affected by trauma. Other accomplishments included the implementation of enhanced security measures at the Cornwall courthouse, expansion of CCTV infrastructure, relocation of the Collision Reporting Centre to the east-end station, and the development of the Cornwall Police Service’s 2025-2028 Strategic Plan.
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