WRPS considers redeploying staff amid more COVID-19 cases

The Waterloo Regional Police Service is considering redeploying staff and prioritizing calls as more officers test positive for COVID-19.

WRPS has reported a total of 94 positive cases, including 76 sworn members and 18 civilians.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday, Chief Bryan Larkin said, up until Dec. 17, the service had reported 33 positive cases.

"You can see the impact of the Omicron variant," he said. "Over the last 30 days, a significant increase."

Larkin said they're preparing for all possible outcomes in the weeks ahead.

"We are not in a position where we have had to redeploy or reassign," he said. "Our strategic team looks at staffing levels."

Larkin said staffing levels are currently manageable thanks to new provincial guidelines for isolation periods. But, there are plans in place if the situation worsens.

"We would look at in progress," Larkin said. "Criminal acts are a high priority, robberies, assaults, intimate partner violence, individuals in crisis where there's a threat of violence, sudden deaths, there's an obligation."

He said lower threshold calls may not receive responses unless there was a safety concern. Larkin wouldn’t comment on the minimum staffing level the service could handle.

"I'm an optimist," he said. "We will get through this. I think we will be better as a community and we have to be resilient. We are doing all the right things."

The service has put new measures in place, including pausing non-essential training and the auxiliary program, enhancing rapid antigen testing and switching out medical masks for KN95s.