Spike in drug overdose deaths ‘alarming’: BPS Chief

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This article was published 14/12/2024 (277 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Terming the recent reports of drug overdoses as “alarming,” Brandon Police Service Chief Tyler Bates said Brandonites need to be aware of the dangerous trend, including the pattern of growing drug toxicity over the last couple of years.

Bates made the observation during a police board meeting held on Friday afternoon. He was referring to the concerning spike in the number of drug overdose-related fatalities in the Wheat City during the last few years.

While three such fatalities were reported in Brandon in 2022, drug overdose deaths rose to five in 2023. The total number of drug overdose cases has doubled this year, including seven fatalities so far and six more cases of drug overdoses reported in December alone, which were not fatal.

Acknowledging the sharp rise in drug use, Bates said the community should be aware of this alarming trend.

“From a statistic standpoint, the one highlight that I would like to make is the continuing crisis as it relates to the use of methamphetamine. I highlighted this last time as well, I would say that certainly we have not seen an improvement with respect to this particular issue, and so much so that yesterday I felt the need to put out an alert to the community and to the public with respect to what is a pattern of increasing toxicity and drug deaths over the course of the last couple of years.”

“To have six overdoses at this stage of December speaks to an increase in lethality. You know, we feel there’s a drug supply that is exceptionally dangerous right now,” said Bates.

The board meeting also focused on Brandon Police Service’s efforts to beef up its cadres by offering potential recruits a chance to take part in a ride-along program that allows them to gain first-hand experience of policing in Brandon.

“The ride-along program provides individuals with an opportunity to see what we do in law enforcement, individuals who shadow an officer during a shift and experience the type of calls that our officers attend to and how they’re handled,” Bates pointed out.

He added that the city’s law enforcement ranks would be much more effective with the addition of at least 20 more officers.

To that end, the police service has stepped up recruitment efforts, including starting the ride-along program and deploying a $806,000 surplus in its budget to hire more officers in the new year.

Chief Bates said he is optimistic about completing the recruitment process at the earliest, especially in light of a 25 per cent jump in recruitment applications this year.

More than 80 applicants have applied for jobs with the Brandon police this year, Bates revealed, adding that the number is higher than last year.

“We hope that we see some supplementary members, experienced police officers that come from other police agencies as well, and we were fortunate to have four of those last year,” he said during the meeting.

Ongoing vacancies in the Brandon police force have also had an impact on community policing, especially in light of the marked increase in drug overdose deaths related to methamphetamine.

The police board will reconvene for its next official meeting on Feb. 7 in the new year.

» dstein@brandonsun.com

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