A unit within the North Bay Police Service designated to assist and monitor domestic violence investigations grew and developed last year, as data shows intimate partner violence-related calls increased by more than 100 in 2025. The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit grew to two dedicated full-time officers to allow for more effective intimate partner violence monitoring and investigative work. The two officers, Const. Ashley St. John and Const. Sue Solman, provided a snapshot of intimate partner violence (IPV) data collected last year to the North Bay Police Services Board Tuesday morning. According to their data, police responded to more than 1,200 IPV-related calls in 2025. That is an increase of 120 compared to 2024. Often a crime hidden behind closed doors Of the 1,200 calls, 367 incidents were deemed chargeable. More than 280 calls resulted in charges against men, while close to 85 calls led to charges against women. Kathleen Jodouin, the executive director of Victim Services of Nipissing District, spoke to the media after the presentation. “We see it from all different households and all different pressures. It’s really a crime about control and you just never really know what’s going on behind your neighbour’s door,” she said. Mandatory training In 2025, the unit placed a strong emphasis on in-service training to ensure officers were equipped with the knowledge, skills and community connections necessary to respond to IPV-related cases. Community organizations such as Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre, the North Bay Indigenous Hub, the Sexual Assault Treatment Centre at the local hospital, Community Counselling Centre of Nipissing and victim services were invited to participate directly in training, providing officers with a deeper understanding of available resources and how these agencies support victims and their families. In addition, over the last 18 months, every single officer with the city police has gone through a four-hour mandatory training session to understand current intimate partner violence trends, coercive control and its impact on victims, risk assessment, the importance of thorough and trauma-informed IPV investigations and direct perspectives from victims. North Bay Police Chief Daryl Longworth spoke about the unit’s progress. “They’ve come to me and let me know what they need,” Longworth said. “I try and set the table for them to give them the resources and the training, the education they need, and they have really run with the ball.” Victim referrals spike Victim referrals to victim services spiked in 2025, with close to 900 referrals completed, up from 685 in 2024 – ab approximately 31 per cent increase year over year. The two officers in the domestic violence unit told CTV News the increase indicates that more victims are reaching out for assistance and being connected to appropriate supports. “Being uniquely situated in the building means we get to work much more closely with North Bay city police, as well as we get to sort of do joint initiatives around prevention and education,” said Jodouin. The police service said that in 2025, the officers fulfilled the Victim Liaison Officer role during four major investigations. These investigations involved supporting victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, attempted murder and providing dedicated support to homicide victims’ families during some of the most traumatic periods of their lives. As a result of the force’s commitment, along with the work of victim services, other police services have reached out to request training materials, investigative tools and victim resource templates developed by the unit and their partnerships. Police said other police forces from outside the region have visited the North Bay Police Service to learn about their practices and resources to implement local initiatives, recognizing them as exceeding standard practices seen in comparable services. “The society is changing and we’re trying to evolve and change with it,” Longworth said. “Things like sexual assault and domestic violence are underreported.” Police also noted that the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit was responsible for the administration and monitoring of the Ontario Sex Offender and Trafficker Registry within its jurisdiction. In January 2025, a site assessment was completed as part of an Ontario-wide sex offender registry evaluation. The North Bay Police Service’s compliance rate was 96.70 per cent – above the provincial compliance average of 95.50 per cent. At the time, there were 275 offender records owned by the North Bay Police Service and 139 sex offenders were active and were required to register.
