Barrie’s downtown core is getting a major boost in police presence and community engagement this summer, as the Barrie Police Service expands a program aimed at visibility, safety, and support.
Beginning Monday, June 16, 17 officers — an expanded mix of uniformed police and special constables — will patrol downtown streets as part of a growing partnership with the City of Barrie. It's a significant increase from last year’s pilot deployment of 10.
“Last year’s deployment worked out just fantastic,” said Sgt. Angie Butler of the Barrie Police Service. “The public loved it. The officers loved it. The business community loved it. So we’ve scaled up.”
High-Visibility Presence and Strategic Policing
The new teams are designed to increase both visibility and responsiveness in the downtown core, with foot and bike patrols supported by data-driven scheduling. Special constables will wear bright blue shirts to stand out, and they’ll rotate between key city facilities.
“We look very closely at the type of calls we get, the time of those calls, the priority, and the locations,” said Butler. “We’re very strategic in what we do — it’s not just randomly putting people on corners.”
Officers are now equipped with mobile technology to log activity and coordinate referrals to social services in real time.
Supporting Downtown While Addressing Social Disorder
While downtown Barrie has seen its share of challenges, Butler emphasized the community is vibrant, active, and far from the “doom and gloom” often portrayed on social media.
“We’re not unique to the problems being experienced in other Canadian cities,” she said. “But what I can say about downtown Barrie — it’s beautiful. The city and the BIA have done a wonderful job bringing events and families downtown.”
Butler praised the close collaboration between police, social services, and community organizations, highlighting teams like the downtown mental health partnership — pairing an officer with a Canadian Mental Health Association worker to respond to people in crisis.
“It’s a very purposeful balance,” she said. “We enforce the criminal code, but we also help people at the same time.”
A Bigger, Broader Initiative
This year’s program also includes the newly launched City Guardian Program, putting seven special constables on rotation at City Hall, the downtown library, and the transit terminal. Each deployment is designed around peak usage hours for increased impact.
With an eye to the future, Butler sees the program continuing to grow.
“We’ve tripled the number of officers down there. It’s fantastic,” she said. “This is just the beginning — and I think it’s only going to get bigger and better.”
