Police see 164 per cent increase in charges during 2018’s ‘Project Safe Semester’

Project Safe Semester has come to a close, and the annual police campaign posted a staggering increase in the number of charges laid.

Waterloo Regional Police said there were 621 charges laid over the course of the month-long campaign, an increase of 164 per cent over the same time period a year ago.

READ MORE: Charges rise in Week 3 of Waterloo police’s university safety blitz

The campaign, which began on August 26, was conducted by Waterloo police in conjunction with Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo campus police, Conestoga College, City of Waterloo By-law and the Waterloo Fire Department.

Waterloo Regional Police chief Bryan Larkin said that while the campaign has come to a conclusion, police will continue to stay vigilant on campus.

READ MORE: Waterloo police lay 219 charges in week 2 of Project Safe Semester

“We will continue monitoring the University and College areas as Project Safe Semester wraps up and we head into Homecoming celebrations,” he said.

The campaign saw 115 charges laid in the first week, 219 charges in the second week and 173 charges in the third week. During the final week of the program, a total of 114 charges were laid.