Large police presence in central Kingston precautionary in nature
A large police presence on Queen Mary Road over the weekend had many area residents concerned, as up to 10 Kingston Police vehicles lined the street and filled a parking lot at a local apartment building.
At approximately 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jun. 4, 2023, Kingston Police were called to an apartment building on Queen Mary Road near Notch Hill Drive, just off of Bath Road. The officers attended the address as a precautionary measure “in regards to the welfare of an individual at this address who was in crisis,” according to Constable Anthony Colangeli, Media Relations Officer for Kingston Police.
The incident drew public attention when what began as a small contingent of officers on the scene began to grow as more and more police vehicles arrived. This was compounded by area residents noticing police carrying items such as shields, a battering ram, and a projectile launcher (often referred to as an ARWEN, an acronym for ‘Anti-Riot Weapon Enfield’). However, none of those items were used.
The individual police were concerned with was apprehended without incident, according to Kingston Police, and taken to hospital for assessment/treatment.
Throughout the incident, which lasted just over three hours, Kingston allowed residents of the apartment building to move freely throughout the parking lot and did not restrict access to the building, apart from a small area.
“The situation was contained and there was no risk to public safety,” police said.
Any reader will know I’m a strong supporter of KPF, but by my count, that’s every single cruiser (and presumably, officer) on that shift attending that one call. It would be interesting to confirm this. I can’t help but wonder how this would ensure the public safety for the rest of the city for those 3 hours. Surely there needs to be a limit on how many resources can be deployed to a threat posed by one individual.
I trust the Kingston Police to understand what resources might be needed.