13 arrests made in one-day Sarnia police enforcement sweep

Sarnia Police take to social media to publicize crackdown on open drug use in the community. CTV London’s Reta Ismail has the story.

A one-day enforcement blitz by Sarnia police on June 30 led to 13 arrests as officers targeted street-level crime and open drug use throughout the city.

The initiative, led by a special task force within the Sarnia Police Service, focused on what Chief Derek Davis called “criminality across the city that is impacting the quality of life of our residents.”

Five people were arrested for open drug use, including one person charged with drug trafficking, after being caught mid-transaction in a stairwell. A subsequent search led officers to seize fentanyl and hydromorphone.

Several other people were taken into custody on outstanding warrants for offences including break and enter, mischief, theft, and robbery — three more suspects were turned over to other police agencies.

“It’s a complex problem, but the police aren’t the solution,” Davis said. “However, we are going to catch, at the end of the day, when all those other systems are unable to stop a crime or get a person to where they need to be, it’s going to fall to us.”

One arrest stemmed from a sharp-eyed officer recognizing a suspect from a London police alert while on patrol. That 48-year-old man was wanted on a Canada-wide warrant.

“One of our officers, having seen the London police alert, driving down the street, looked over and spotted them,” said Davis. “And then the rest of the arrest flowed from there.”

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said police are doing what they can but called for stronger support from higher levels of government.