Police in Delta have launched an online portal for reporting non-emergency situations including traffic incidents, vandalism and fraud under $5,000.
According to a DPD press release, a common concern police hear from the community is that wait times can be inconvenient from those calling the department’s non-emergency line. This can be especially frustrating for those wanting to report, for example, that they car had bee rummaged through but nothing was stolen.
To help ease the wait, this fall the DPD launched an online reporting tool accessible through the front page of deltapolice.ca or directly at report.deltapolice.ca:11443.
“Online reporting provides another way for anyone to report an incident that happened in Delta or on the Tsawwassen First Nation,” Insp. Ciaran Feenan, head of the DPD’s patrol section, said in a press release. “Property damage, fraud under $5,000, or reporting a traffic incident are all examples of things that can be reported online now.”
The release notes general community concerns can also be reported via the online portal.
“Our department is known for its ‘No Call Too Small’ approach, and we hope online reporting will make it more convenient for people to let our officers know about those little things,” Feenan said, adding “it’s important to stress that online reporting isn’t meant for emergencies or reporting crimes in progress.”
From 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, online reports will go directly to on-duty staff who will assess them and determine next steps (reports received overnight may not be reviewed until the next day), and police will contact the person who submitted the report within 24 hours.
The online forms request basic information such as email address and date of birth, and police will need to know the date and location of the incident or details such as the licence plates of vehicles involved. The whole process will take about 15 minutes to complete and is mobile friendly.
At this time, the online reporting system is not configured to accept videos or photos; those will need to be provided to the officer assigned to the file.
With the roll-out of the online reporting tool, police say the public is still welcome to call the department’s non-emergency line at 604-946-4411, just as they’ve always done.
In an emergency or to report a crime in progress, call 911.
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