In a statement issued on Twitter, the Stratford Police Service (SPS) has announced officers will focus on education first and enforcement of the stay-at-home order as a last resort. The statement says that Stratford police officers will not be conducting random stops of vehicles or pedestrians.
With the enhanced #COVID19 regulations announced yesterday, the #SPS will continue to focus on our approach of Education first, with Enforcement used as a last resort.
We will not be conducting random stops on vehicles, or pedestrians.
More info to be released on Monday.
— Stratford Police Service (@SPSmediaoffice) April 17, 2021
SPS joins other police services in issuing the same or similar statements including Waterloo Regional Police, the Guelph Police Service, and London Police Service. Other police services around Ontario including Toronto, Ottawa, Peterborough, and Niagara are also choosing to educate before enforcing the new police powers under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Service.
On Friday Premier Doug Ford and Solicitor General, Sylvia Jones announced enhanced police powers to enforce the stay-at-home order that has been extended for an additional two weeks. Police and by-law officers will be given extra powers to enforce the emergency orders especially for people who are not at their place of residence. Police will be allowed to stop an individual and request the reason for being out of their home and ask for a home address. Police will also have the authority to stop a vehicle to ask why a person is leaving their residence. If an individual refuses they will be ticketed, Solicitor General Sylva Jones says, “they are breaking the law.”
