Waterloo’s Project Safe Semester sees 69% increase in charges compared to 2017

Waterloo police launched its annual Project Safe Semester campaign in late August and the early results are eye-opening.

The first week of the 2018 campaign has seen a 69 per cent increase compared to the same time period last year.

Since Aug. 26, there have been 115 charges laid, including 79 violations of the Highway Traffic Act and 22 violation of the Liquor Licence Act.

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The campaign intends to welcome back post-secondary students with an increased police presence around school zones.

“We are committed to ensuring the safety of all students as well as the entire community,” said Waterloo police chief Bryan Larkin in a statement. “We will maintain an increased presence in the Universities and College areas to discourage public disorder incidents and unlawful and unsafe behaviour. We want students to have a great experience as they kick off their new academic year, but we want that experience to be a safe and respectful one. It’s about being respectful to yourself, each other and the community as a whole.”

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The campaign is being conducted with the assistance of University of Waterloo campus police, Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier, City of Waterloo By-law and the Waterloo Fire Department.