70 new cops will help fight car thefts, break-ins in Brampton and Mississauga, mayor says

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Published January 2, 2023 at 11:50 am

Patrick Brown

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says an all-time record 70 new officers being added to the Peel Regional Police ranks this year will help fight car thefts and break-and-enters, which have become huge public safety concerns in Brampton and Mississauga.

In his New Year’s address posted to his Twitter page, in which the mayor of Ontario’s fourth-largest city speaks about 2022 accomplishments in Brampton and what the city can look forward to in 2023, Brown promised that the “most muscular” police budget yet will help address his top priority.

“The area I think needs most attention and that I have my determined focus on is public safety,” said Brown. “I hear people say to me that we’ve got great parks, great recreation, a great quality of life, but there’s nervousness about public safety.

“We’ve seen an increase in auto thefts and break-and-enters, and my top priority” is working with Peel’s chief of police to make sure “we can give you peace of mind,” he continued in his remarks to residents. “We have a police budget that’s to be the most muscular that we’ve ever put forward.”

That budget, Brown noted, will add 70 new police officers to Peel’s ranks, “the most we’ve ever added in a single year and that will give Peel police the capacity to respond to (the increase in) car thefts and break-and-enters.”

Brampton’s mayor added that resources in 2023 will also help improve Peel’s 911 emergency capacity.

“I’ve heard horror stories about people waiting on hold (for) 911,” Brown said, noting that 50 civilian staff will be added to Peel police to help with services like 911 “so that we don’t hear stories of people on hold at 911.”

Brown said he’s looking forward to successes on other fronts as well for Brampton in the year ahead.

“We’re going to be the first big city in the country to have electrified (public) transit, an entire transit fleet that is electrified,” he said.

The City of Brampton is also working with the Ontario government to have the first new medical school in the GTA in 100 years built in Brampton, said Brown.

“The first class will be in 2025,” he said, adding that the location of the medical school will be announced in early 2023.

Still on the medical front, Brown said the months ahead will also finally see construction begin on a long-awaited second hospital in Brampton.

“So, there are some big initiatives afoot in Brampton,” the mayor concluded.

And it will be a more unified City council that oversees those and other developments in Brampton in the year ahead, Brown promised.

“I look at the fact we went from what was a divided council to now a united, focused and determined council that was the result of the municipal election (this past October),” he said.

 

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