The Town of Cobourg is adhering to provincial and federal recommendations through the COVID-19 outbreak. The Cobourg Police Service facilities have been closed as part of concerted precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
As an important part of these precautions, the Cobourg Police Station has been closed, effective immediately, consistent with all municipal facilities ordered to be closed by the Town of Cobourg. This means that the Comfort Centre, the emergency cooling and warming room, will be closed as well.
All employees will continue to report to work as normal, but access to the police station by members of the public will be limited, barring emergency.
For non-emergency matters, please continue to call our main business line: 905-372-6821.
If you have an emergency, continue to call 911!
Officers will still respond to all emergency calls for service but you need to know that calls of a minor nature will be reviewed for alternative handling over the phone by one of our officers or Special Constables wherever possible.
If you are downtown at the Cobourg Police Station, a bright yellow call box is located at the rear entry door of the station. Follow the ramp on the left side of the building, proceed to the rear of the building and use the phone inside the call box. You will be connected automatically to the communications centre for assistance.
When you speak to one of the communications centre dispatchers, please be patient as you will be asked screening questions to assist in protecting our members, and mitigate the spread of the virus, if officers are required to attend to your location.
You will be asked five (5) questions:
1. Have you received public health or medical advice to self-monitor or self-isolate?
2. Are you presenting with fever, or new onset of cough or difficulty breathing?
3. Have you travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days?
4. Did you have close contact with a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19?
5. Did you have close contact with anyone with acute respiratory illness who has travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days?
If your call is passed along to Ambulance, Fire or OPP from our communications centre, that agency will ask the triage questions.
The Cobourg Police Service has been a partner in assisting the homeless members of our community to find temporary shelter, while seeking services through the County of Northumberland Social Services as well as Provincial Ministries.
Social assistance agencies are all being challenged during this time, to provide care and services for the vulnerable, while taking all measures required to prevent the spread of COVID-19, in order to protect all members of our community and surrounding areas. The Cobourg Police Service will continue to team with other agencies where possible to assist them with their mandates, while ensuring the continuity of essential policing services for the Town of Cobourg.
Be sure to stay informed by checking news and health resources online: Do not call 911 unless it is an emergency.
Contact Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or your local public health unit if you’re experiencing symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
Ontario Ministry of Health (COVID-19): https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novelcoronavirus?_ga=2.67545489.1248894252.1584139580-285609878.1584139580
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit: https://www.hkpr.on.ca/
Northumberland Hills Hospital: https://nhh.ca/covid-19
The Cobourg Police Service continues to receive updates from agencies regarding the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Cobourg Police Service will monitor the health of all our employees so that we can continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community. There has been no disruption in service, but we are planning for contingencies that may include impacts on staffing levels.
The Cobourg Police Service will be making the following changes to protect staff and members of the public to minimize transmission of the virus;
• We ask that members of the public avoid attending the Cobourg Police Station unless absolutely necessary.
• Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 if you need to attend the Cobourg Police Station you may be subject to a non-intrusive screening process.
• When you call Police Dispatch, you will also go through a screening process regarding COVID19 health risks. We understand that this may cause concerns, but this is for the safety of our members and the public.
• Effective immediately we will process some non-emergency calls over the phone instead of having an officer attend. This will be managed on a case by case basis by continued use of our tiered policing model.
• You may see some members of the Cobourg Police Service wearing protective equipment like masks or gloves. This will be for their own protection only.
The Cobourg Police Service would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. We would like to stress that there is no disruption in day to day activities and the Cobourg Police Service will continue to provide service to the Town of Cobourg.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
