NEW DIVISION HELPS FIGHT DRUG CRIME HELPING POLICE KEEP PACE WITH CHANGING
COMMUNITY

Fighting drug crime is expected to be more efficient with the creation
of a new policing division in Waterloo Region, according to Chief Matt
Torigian.

Approved yesterday by the police services board, the Waterloo Regional
Police drug branch, the intelligence branch, and the Special Response
Unit will be brought together into one building.

"It's keeping pace with the dynamic changes we see in our community,"
said Torigian. "It is a significant change."

It is expected the new division will be based at police headquarters -
where a current renovation expansion is ongoing - on Maple Grove Road,
said the chief, which means a new facility will not have to be built
for the new division.

Based on feedback from the public through its annual citizen survey,
fighting drugs should be a top policing priority. That was considered
when thinking of creating a new division, said Torigian. "We're
creating this culture of accountability and meeting those
expectations," he said.

The division will require one superintendent and one inspector, but it
has not yet been decided who will fill those positions. Torigian said
the positions will be taken on by existing senior command service members.

The new division has not yet been named, but because the branches and
unit involved are referred to as strategic and tactical services, the
chief said he anticipates the name will reflect that. Growth in the
number of officers employed by the police service also plays a part in
the decision to create a new division, noted the chief. With more than
150 officers hired over the last 10 years, some shuffling is being
done to group these "inter-related" branches.