175th Anniversary of the Peterborough Police Service

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

This year marks the 175^th anniversary of the Peterborough Police Service. The Service was officially formed as one of the first acts of Peterborough council in 1850 with William Cummings serving as Chief Constable alongside four part-time constables serving a population of around 2,200. Since that time, the Service has grown to 162 officers and 96 civilian members serving the residents of the City of Peterborough, Village of Lakefield and Township of Cavan-Monaghan, with a combined population of approximately 100,000 people, and welcomes in just over 3 million visitors, students and residents from neighbouring communities, annually.

On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Peterborough Police Service marked the start of those celebrations. Chief of Police Stuart Betts placed the official 175^th Anniversary Crest on our marked patrol vehicles alongside our Police Service Board members (photos below).

The mission of our Service is to promote the safety of citizens and the protection of property, through an appropriate balance of law enforcement and problem solving and crime-prevention initiatives. Collaborating and engaging with our community remains at the very core of what we do each and every day as policing is not done in isolation. As Sir Robert Peel stated in 1829, “The police are the public and the public are the police.” We rely heavily on this interdependent relationship and your ongoing support with respect to sharing information, participating in crime prevention initiatives and reporting crime.

“We are honoured to be stewarding the celebration of this milestone. It is important for us to say thank you to the officers and civilians that built this Organization and have served with dedication as our community has grown. When looking back through our history, it is not surprising to see the Peterborough Police Service at the forefront of policing and public safety innovation. We pledge that the Service of the future is just as forward thinking and responsive to the needs of our policing communities. As part of that pledge, we will revisit the mission, vision and values of our Service to ensure they reflect not only today’s expectations, but also the future needs of our Organization and the Community.” - Chief Stuart Betts, Peterborough Police Service.

How the Service is celebrating:

Development of a 175^th Anniversary Crest
Use of 175^th Anniversary Crest decal on all marked patrol vehicles
Community Celebration event on Saturday, May 31st, 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm at 1421 Lansdowne Street West (Open to all) – meet officers, Unit demonstrations, recruitment information, BBQ, petting zoo, obstacle course and more!
History of the Peterborough Police Service Display at Community Celebration
Return of the Chief For A Day contest
Update the mission, Vision and Values for the Police Service

Historical Markers:

The Peterborough Police Service is the 10^th oldest service in the province
14 police chiefs in service history - Peterborough Police Chief George H. Johnston was originally thought to have been the first Chief of the Peterborough Police Service; however, historical archives suggest that there were three others who preceded him.
First civilian member was a female stenographer in 1952
First female officer 1968
First forensic unit created in 1948
First K9 Unit 1997
500 Water Street officially opened in 1968 and was the only police-designated building until the City of Peterborough purchase of the 1421 Lansdowne Street location in February 2024
2025 is also the 25^th Anniversary of the Peterborough Police Service Auxiliary Unit

The public is invited to join us on Saturday, May 31^st between 10:00am – 1:00pm at 1421 Lansdowne Street for a community celebration of the 175^th anniversary milestone.

(L to R: Drew Merrett, Board Vice-Chair; Mayor Jeff Leal, Board Member; Chief Stuart Betts; Mary ten Doeschate, Board Chair; Councillor Gary Baldwin, Board Member; Steve Girardi, Board Member; Deputy Chief Jamie Hartnett)

Sandra Dueck
Manager, Strategic Communication Services
Peterborough Police Service
sdueck@peterborough.ca
705-876-1122 x217