North Bay police hub boosts downtown safety, survey finds

A North Bay police survey finds downtown businesses report improved safety and increased police presence since a pilot hub opened on Main Street in June.

A newly released survey from the North Bay Police Service, issued Tuesday, details how downtown business owners perceive safety and police presence following the opening of a dedicated police hub on Main Street.

The office, launched as a six-month pilot project in June at 168 Main St. East, serves as a base for officers patrolling the downtown core.

Businesses note enhanced police presence and crime reduction

Since the facility opened, local business owners have reported noticing a more significant police presence in the downtown area. This observation is accompanied by a reported decrease in major criminal incidents.

“The violent crime or really big crimes were down in the downtown area,” Amber Livingstone, the executive direct of Downtown North Bay and Waterfront, told CTV News.

“So we are not unique and it is not the unsafe place that people think it is.”

Survey highlights persistent challenges, measured improvements

Conducted from Oct. 30 to Nov. 15, the survey aimed to assess the downtown police office’s impact.

The resulting 8-page report, titled ‘Downtown North Bay Business Community Survey: Police Store Front Assessment’, gathered responses from 47 businesses across diverse sectors. Results indicate ongoing challenges with aggressive behaviour, loitering, vandalism and shoplifting – however, respondents noted some improvements in 2025 compared to 2024.

Compared to the previous year, approximately 44 per cent of respondents feel downtown safety has improved ‘somewhat,’ while about 21 per cent say it remained the same and 15 per cent argue it has either ‘improved significantly’ or slightly worsened.

“We recognize there’s still a lot of work to be done downtown,” Police Chief Daryl Longworth told reporters Tuesday morning.

“This is reassuring for us to let us know that the officers’ efforts of them going out every day is being recognized, and it actually is making a difference.” – quote

Visibility, communication boost sense of security

While over half of the respondents reported no personal interaction with police staff at the hub, the survey pointed to a greater overall sense of safety. Participants cited increased police visibility, improved communication with law enforcement and faster response times as key positive outcomes.

Despite awareness of the storefront, some suggested enhanced visibility for the initiative.

“When I answered the survey, I had put in that I think signage would be helpful because some people don’t realize it’s down here,” said Livingstone.

Acting Deputy Chief Jeff Warner presented statistics Tuesday showing just over 100 calls for service in the downtown area in the first half of December, with most related to social disorder.

Strong support for continuing downtown police initiative

The survey found 78 per cent of responding businesses support continuing the downtown police hub and offered suggestions for its enhancement. While many hope for a permanent solution, a measured approach is favoured.

“It’d be lovely to see it be permanent. But I don’t think we’re at that time to make a decision either,” said Livingstone.

“Maybe a year, a full year, would be helpful.”

“My hope is that, yes, it will continue,” said Longworth.

“But we want to make sure we do our due diligence and make sure we’re doing the right thing with the investment we’re going to make downtown.”

Read the full report here.