Dryden OPP Detachment Commander Ed Chwastyk. Staff photo
Work is underway to transition police service in Dryden from the municipal force to Provincial Police.
OPP Dryden Detachment Commander Ed Chwastyk admits its been a tiring 15-some months for everyone involved but his team is ready to buckle down to make the integration a successful one.
Chwastyk is taking a four-point approach in the transition.
“The employees of the Dryden Police Service. The employees of the OPP. Just internal here we have to take a look at our systems and make sure that everybody here is supported so that we can provide the service we need to the community.”
Chwastyk says he will do whatever it takes to assist current members of the DPS, stressing he wants to build a service that’s bigger and better.
Next Chwastyk says, “Taking a look at our existing relationships that we have with the community service providers within Dryden and enhancing those for the future as we become the amalgamated police service.”
He goes on to say:
He notes the DPS has strong community ties and believes integrating programming on both sides will make this community stronger.
“Program enhancement. Taking a look at what the Dryden Police Service is doing within the community and integrating it with what we already do and what the OPP at large does.”
He goes on to say:
Lastly Chwastyk says, “The actual mechanics. The integration of the operations and making sure that we got the mechanics right and we can fold the two services together on that date when it happens. There’s still a lot of moving pieces but I anticipate we can see this occurring in the first half of 2022.”
Dryden Chief Administrative Officer Roger Nesbitt says the City has started communication with current members of the DPS and OPP, including employment.
“We have set up a tentative transition date to the OPP. That’s late winter, early spring, 2022.”
The Ontario Civilian Police Commission still needs to approve the amalgamation.
The request is expected to be officially made early this month.
It could take up to eight weeks for a decision to be made.
Council voted in July to make the switch in service from the Dryden Police Service to Provincial Police.
