Why London police may no longer be responding to noise complaints
A joint pilot project between city hall and the London Police Service (LPS) will see municipal by-law officers respond to most noise complaints.
During the final quarter of 2022, an eight-member team of municipal noise and parking enforcement officers will respond to noise complaints 24/7.
Only noise complaints with a criminal or violent element will be directed to police officers.
The majority of calls (non-criminal in nature) would be dispatched to lower cost municipal by-law officers who divide their time between parking and noise complaints.
A report by city staff explains, “When noise complaints peak in the evenings, parking service requests are low; when parking enforcement demands are high, such as for morning school zones, noise complaints are low.”
Between 2019 and 2022, London police responded to an average of 2,700 noise complaints per year — taking a big bite out of officers’ time to respond to calls that are more serious.
The pilot requires transferring four existing parking enforcement officers from the existing group and hiring four new noise and parking enforcement officers.
A management position will also be required.
Parking services officers have a return-on-investment (ROI) of 120 to 200 per cent based on ticket revenue.
In addition to the ROI, civic administration is proposing an increase to parking fines to limit the cost to the city’s tax base.
The Community and Protective Services Committee will receive details about the pilot project on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.