Peterborough Police Postpone Saturday's Community Open House; Seeking New Date In the Fall

The Peterborough Police Service’s Community Open House scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed due to expected unfavourable weather conditions.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

Peterborough Police made the decision with rain and wind expected all day Saturday.

“We appreciate the high community interest in this event and are excited to host it on a day that will present more favourable conditions,” said Sandra Dueck, Peterborough Police manager, strategic communication services.

A new date is being scheduled for this fall.

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Peterborough Police Mark Sudden Death Near Downtown As Not Suspicious

The Peterborough Police have determined that a sudden death occurring in the George Street North and Townsend Street area is not suspicious.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

There was police activity in the area on Wednesday morning for an investigation.

Since being marked not suspicious, the individual’s death becomes a Coroner’s Investigation.

The deceased’s identity has not been released at this time.

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Peterborough Police Invite Public to Its 2026 Community Open House On June 6

The Peterborough Police Service is hosting a Community Open House on June 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at their headquarters, announced on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

Visitors can learn about traffic, ERT, forensics, K9, the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, Mobile Crisis Intervention, policing/civilian careers and more.

The event also has a tour of the police station, K9 and motorcycle demonstrations.

All are welcome with no admission fee to the open house.

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Peterborough Police Chief Stuart Betts Extended Through 2032

The Peterborough Police Service Board has extended Chief Stuart Betts’s employment contract to Dec. 31, 2032, at their meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

According to the Board, this extension reaffirms their confidence in Betts’s leadership and dedication to both Members of the Service and the communities it serves, as well as the Board’s commitment to advancing key initiatives identified in the Strategic Plan for community safety and Member wellness.

“The Board appreciates the professionalism and dedication demonstrated daily by all Members of the Service and recognizes the importance of strong leadership and support supporting both operational excellence and positive community relationships,” said Mary ten Doeschate, Board Chair.

“I’m appreciative of the Board’s continued support and recognize that this contract extension is a public declaration of that support,” said Betts. “Collectively, the Board, Administration and Associations are aligned in our shared goal of improving public safety in our communities, and I am continually impressed with the talented and dedicated men and women of this Police Service who work hard every day to make this a reality.”

Betts was sworn in as the new Peterborough Police Chief on Jan 9, 2023. He took over from the then-acting Chief Tim Farquharson, who currently serves as Chief of the Port Hope Police Service and his term was extended through March 2030.

During Betts’s career, he has served in Frontline Patrol, Executive Services, Support Services and Administrative departments.

Betts has completed the Senior Management Institute for Police with the Police Executive Research Forum at the University of Boston and the Police Leadership Program at the Rotman School of Executive Management at the University of Toronto. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from York University, a Masters of Business Administration Degree from the University of Fredericton and is pursuing a second Masters degree in Law in Alternative Dispute Resolution at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Betts is also a certified Canadian Risk Manager and certified Change Management Practitioner. He has served as the co-chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Information and Statistics Committee.

Prior to being named Peterborough Police Chief, Betts served as Deputy Chief of Operations and Deputy Chief of Administration at the London Police Service.

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Peterborough Police Service Launches Program to Crowd-Source Investigative Leads

The Peterborough Police Service has launched a new web portal to seek the public’s help in identifying people of interest in open investigations, announced on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

According to the Peterborough Police, investigations are often supported by businesses and homes with security surveillance cameras, during which officers attempt to establish the identity of potential suspects. During this process, crime bulletins with photos or videos are created as an investigative aid. For the most part, officers can identify the person of interest; however, in some cases, police will need to turn to the public for help. 

To facilitate the program, the Peterborough Police Service will use its online reporting tool to make crime bulletins available to the public via a portal on the Peterborough Police Service website. 

These bulletins will be posted publicly after all other investigative leads have been exhausted and will remain active for 30 days before being automatically removed.  If an individual is identified prior to the automated expiration date, the bulletin will be removed.

You can find the page online under the ‘Media Section – Help Us Identify.’

“Community safety and feelings of being safe is our top priority. This new portal builds upon the success of the Community F.I.R.S.T. initiative that primarily focuses on responses to property crimes that are low-dollar value, but high-frequency and is a way to reach into our community to achieve this goal in a timely way,” said Stuart Betts, Peterborough Police Chief. “It is widely recognized that social media is being used as an unregulated means for sharing photos and videos and we are looking to harness this public interest to engage the community in a way that will provide assistance in investigations. I want to stress that the identification process is intended to utilize Crime Stoppers to ensure anonymity of those assisting. The Criminal Code authority for citizens to effect an arrest does not extend to situations where people identify someone from these bulletins, and no one should confront or attempt to apprehend anyone they may recognize, but rather to provide the police with the information.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online. The Peterborough Police ask that you include the Reference Number with your information.

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Peterborough Police Service Create Online Visual Tool From Part of Crime Grant Proceeds

As part of the 2023-2026 Proceeds of Crime Grant from the Government of Ontario, the Peterborough Police Service has created an online visual tool to raise public awareness and understanding of police-reported hate and bias data.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

The Anti-Hate Initiative has been a three-year grant project with several commitments, including training provided to sworn and civilian members of the Peterborough Police Service, creation of a dedicated webpage on the Peterborough Police Service website, learning about public perception of hate/bias through workshops and questions in the 2025 Community Perception Survey and it concluded with a city-wide public education and awareness campaign between January and March.

The online visual tool is an exploration of police-reported hate/bias crimes and incidents between 2021 and 2025. It is designed to highlight the data and what we can learn from it.  

The tool is broken down into the following sections:

• About the Map

• Is it a Hate Crime or Hate Incident?

• About the Data

• What happens when an incident is reported to police?

• What’s been happening?

• Geographic trends over time

• Breaking down the data

• How often charges are laid

• 2025 Community Perception Survey

• What do I do if I am a victim of, or witness to, a  Hate Crime or Hate Incident?

• How to report a crime

“I believe sharing this police-reported data with the public is important to understanding what is happening in our community,” Stuart Betts, Peterborough Police Chief. “As a Police Service we know that incidents involving hate/bias are often underreported. I hope that if the public is aware of how the justice system can address hate crime/hate bias and that reporting such incidents is important, more people will feel comfortable coming forward.” 

The tool can also be found through the Hate Has No Place Here Public Education and Awareness Campaign webpage.

A story map is an online visual tool that tells a story as you scroll through its sections. The Peterborough Police chose to make the story map a page-one journey that viewers scroll through, rather than a series of pages that take viewers away from the main page through a series of ‘clicks.’

The information is breaking down the data of police-reported hate/bias incidents and crime over a five-year period.

This is a dataset of incidents reported to the Peterborough Police Service within a specific time frame. The data is representative of the years 2021-2025. The Peterborough Police Service is aware that these types of incidents are underreported, citing that they cannot take the data if incidents are not reported.

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Peterborough Police Seeking Missing Person Last Seen In Chemong Road and Broadway Boulevard Area

The Peterborough Police Service are seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing person, 40-year-old Alexy.

Family and police are concerned for his well-being.

Alexy was last seen in the Chemong Road and Broadway Boulevard area on April 19 between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Alexy has been described to police as:

• Caucasian male

• 6'1”

• Slim build

• Short brown hair

• Beard

• Last seen wearing black pants, army green shirt, black leather jacket, white glasses, brown boots

He was last seen driving a:

• 2018 Red Nissan Titan

• License Plate: CE69062

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

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Grade 5 Student Can Take Charge of Peterborough Police Service With 'Chief For a Day' Contest

The Peterborough Police Service is allowing a Grade 5 student in Peterborough and the Kawarthas to lead them in their ‘Chief For A Day’ program, which returns for 2026, announced on Tuesday.

Izzy Condon from Kaawaate East City Public School was last year’s winner of the ‘Chief for a Day’ contest. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

The contest is an opportunity for Grade 5 students to experience a day as Police Chief for the Peterborough Police Service.

Contest Details:              

• Who Can Enter: Students in Grade 5 at a school in the City of Peterborough, Village of Lakefield and Township of Cavan-Monaghan for the 2025/2026 school year

• Essay Topic: If you were Chief for a day, what would you do?

• Word Limit: 300-500 words

• Deadline: March 25, 2026

The week of April 7 to 10, the authors of the top five essays will be asked to attend the Peterborough Police Station and read their winning essays before a panel of judges, including Chief Betts. 

Prize:

• Serve as Police Chief for a Day on May 19.  You will be fitted with a full Peterborough Police Service Uniform and experience a day in the life of our Police Chief, including being sworn in, meeting the officers and different units, as well as presenting your essay to the Peterborough Police Service Board at their regular meeting. Further opportunity to attend the Community Open House at the Police Station on June 6.

How to Enter:

1. Write your essay: Be creative and thoughtful and be sure to include specific ideas.

2. Submit your essay: Send your completed essay to chiefofpoliceoffice@peterborough.ca Please include your full name, the name of your school, the city the school is in and the school board the student attends. 

3. Deadline: March 25

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Peterborough County OPP Detachment Board Selects Douro-Dummer Mayor As New Chair At Inaugural Meeting

During the Peterborough County OPP Detachment Board's inaugural meeting, Heather Watson, the Township of Douro-Dummer mayor, was acclaimed as Chair for 2026, announced on Feb. 9.

Photo courtesy of Heather Watson.

Watson has served as Vice-Chair for the Board since its first meeting in October 2024. Member John Braybrook was acclaimed as Vice Chair for 2026. He is a Councillor for the Municipality of Trent Lakes and served as Chair for the Board since October 2024.

“I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me to serve as Chair of the Peterborough County OPP Detachment Board.” said Chair Watson. “This Board carries significant responsibility in ensuring transparent, accountable, and community‑focused policing across our region. I look forward to working collaboratively with my fellow Board members and the OPP as we set priorities that reflect the needs and values of the communities we serve.”

Three new Community members, Sarah Frank, Dave Taillefer and Sandra Vaughan, were sworn in after participating in a full recruitment process last year.

Also sworn in representing Curve Lake First Nation was Jeffrey Jacobs. He was re-elected to the CLFN Council as Deputy Chief in 2025 and appointed to the Detachment Board.

Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP; Bonnie Clark, Peterborough County Warden and Sherry Senis, Peterborough County Deputy Warden were also in attendance.

The Peterborough County OPP Detachment Board is a 15-member board involving seven municipalities, two local First Nations, three community representatives and three provincial appointees by the Peterborough County OPP Detachment.

The next Board meeting is on April 27 at 1 p.m. at the Peterborough County Courthouse.

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First Responders Rescue Person Who Fell Into Water At Lock 19

An individual who fell into the water at Lock 19 was rescued and brought to safety by first responders on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Parks Canada.

Peterborough Police arrived at Lock 19 at roughly 12:30 p.m. and learned that someone was in the water. They were able to throw the fallen person some ropes to grab onto.

Peterborough Fire Services arrived as both first-responder organizations had moved the individual to safety.

They were taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre.  

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