Cobourg will have a Collision Reporting Centre

Starting in mid-January, anyone who has a minor accident in Cobourg will be required to report it within 24 hours to a new Collision Reporting Centre set up at the Cobourg Police Station.  Special Constables will man the centre, take photos of the damage, apply the “Damage Reported to Police” sticker, assist with contacting family and/or insurance company and assist with completing a report.  Vehicles will be required to park on the East side of Hibernia next to the police station (see photo below).  Cobourg Police see this as a way to improve efficiency since police will now only “investigate collisions at the scene that involve injuries, suspected criminal activities, severe damage (vehicle is not drivable or requires a tow truck), hazardous goods or conditions are involved, unwilling exchange of information and/or disputes between involved parties, unknown circumstances are involved or damage to private property”.

Cobourg Police Station
Cobourg Police Station

The Cobourg Police Service said that they will partner with Accident Support Services International Ltd. (ASSI) on the upcoming implementation which they said will be “located at the Cobourg Police Service Customer Service Centre” (otherwise known as the Cobourg Police Station!).  Further that “the Collision Reporting Centre is intended to provide a service to the public within the context of community policing and a continuance of the Cobourg Police Service’s model of ‘Tiered Policing’” and that “in order to free our resources to deal with emergency and serious incidents, it is necessary for the public to assist us by attending the station and completing reports.”

Note that even if you don’t plan to make an insurance claim, in Ontario, if you’ve been involved in a minor collision with a total combined value of $2000 in damage, by law you have to file a collision report.

The Police announcement also said:

In most instances where an insurance claim is a factor, there are substantial delays in having such claims processed by the insurer.  Reporting Centres, because of their affiliation with the insurance industry have had considerable success in reducing the average number of days required in the preliminary handling of collision claims.  In addition, Special Constables will provide information and assistance to claimants, and the digital photographs taken during investigations are helpful in settling claims without acrimonious arguments as to the extent of the damage.

Further:

The Cobourg Police Service Collision Reporting Centre will provide enhanced value to the public in the reporting of motor vehicle collisions. The self-reporting and one-on-one interview process simplifies the reporting process, and adds value to the customer service aspect. Police and Insurers will now have real-time access to collision data and reports through ASSI’s Microsoft award winning Collision Reporting & Occurrence Management System (CROMS). All collision data captured is used for analysis and focused policing initiatives. Citizens will have the convenience of a safe, convenient location where they can attend to complete their report.

More details such as operating hours will be available when the centre opens.

Links

ASSI web site

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22 Comments
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Russell
5 years ago

Good move on the part of the Cobourg Police Service. As a retired collision investigator I can attest to the many different versions of the “incident” damages between the time the incident occured and it was investigated by a LEO and an insurance report was filed. This should help and also reduce fraudulent claims of damages.

Albert
5 years ago

Cobourg Police want to be ready to deal with serious incidents.
Fortunately, incidents such two constables firing 30 rounds at a Senior lying in a hospital bed are rare.
Checked out the weekly police report for the week of December tenth and it sounds pretty routine: 8 Motor Vehicle Collisions, 9 Theft/Shoplifting calls, 1 Mischief call, 3 Assault calls, 21 Police information/Assistance calls and 17 Community Service related calls.
However, for sheer drama this incident stands out.
“Police attended a car dealership on Division Street for a motor vehicle collision with a male being run over. On arrival and after further investigation it was determined that the male was an employee that was conducting maintenance on the vehicle. The vehicle had lost braking ability and the male attempted to slow it down by dragging his foot and was subsequently run over by the vehicle.”
The police ‘attending’ seem to have kept a straight face throughout.

cornbread
Reply to  Albert
5 years ago

Compared to Toronto policing, Cobourg policing must feel like being on vacation. How come we apparently have a moral problem on our force?

Ken
Reply to  cornbread
5 years ago

PTSD?

Rusty Brown
Reply to  cornbread
5 years ago

Would love to hear the juicy details of the “moral” problem on our force. Or perhaps is it actually a “morale” problem, which is not the same thing.

Frenchy
5 years ago

I think this procedure is pretty standard across Ontario. Check out the ASSI web site link above or the Collision Reporting Site

Wally Keeler
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago
Frenchy
Reply to  Wally Keeler
5 years ago

Yes, that is the one (ASSI) I referred to provided by John Draper above.

Lyle
5 years ago

So I’m thinking , 2 vehicles involving drivers with different stories on who’s fault it is, they both have to drive their damaged vehicles to the Reporting Center , speak to a police rep. who will decide how to write up the accident report as to who is at fault, the case goes to court, the nightmare starts, will the Police Rep. Be attending court to give evidence ( insurance companies, civil action and who can guess of all the variables that will ensue ) good luck with this one, gone are the days on the illusion of Community Policing in the town of Cobourg

Eastender
5 years ago

bah humbug!
Wait until Fire Services jumps on this.

Kyle
5 years ago

Most of the people who actually pay for policing rarely if ever actually use the police service directly. Now, when they are traumatized about being involved in a collision for possibly the first time in their life the police are “too busy” to respond to their need. So much for all the BS about Community Policing. By “Police” I mean real police officers not all the pretend people in uniform in Cobourg. So much for what a small town police service once was.

Bottom line in Cobourg, there is obviously a huge issue involving front line police officers and police administration.

Ken
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

Another reason for getting rid of the CPS and having the OPP look after our police requirements!

Kyle
Reply to  Ken
5 years ago

Yes, this is obviously another attempt to mask the real issues occurring at the CPS.

The lack of real front line policing occurring. The CIR money should go to funding the police operations not political projects. If the tax payers do not get service then let CIR money fund the so called police service. It certainly seems it only exits to make CIR money.

Frenchy
Reply to  Kyle
5 years ago

I missed something… CIR?

Rusty Brown
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago

I spent some time trying to track down the term. All I got was one reference on cobourgpolice.com and all it says is:

Goal
Continue to seek new opportunities for increased outside revenue.
Measures
Increase of 5% in CIR revenue per year.

Frenchy
Reply to  Rusty Brown
5 years ago

Kyle?

Kyle
Reply to  Frenchy
5 years ago

Criminal Information Report

ben
5 years ago

This is the third report of this story on three different sites, most have been reprints of the press release. I wonder why all of the “reporters” who regurgitate the Presser have never asked why and what kind of coordination will take place between the Special Constable staffing this place and the highly trained autobody assessors in the local Collision Centre set up by a consortium of local body shops.

Is this an effort for good PR for the CPS or is it an intrusion into the private sector, and how much will it cost to duplicate what the Collision Centre provides now. If an insurance claim needs a police report why cannot the Special Constable go to the Collision Centre to provide one?

Just asking the questions who will provide the answers?

ben
Reply to  John Draper
5 years ago

Oh I think it is much more than a Kalkor setup. However the point is still the same, if one needs a police report to fix a claim or if one has to report an accident because the damage is over $2000 – a broken headlight for most new vehicles, then one needs a police report. Now it seems that the Police are too busy removing vehicles and making measurements for the reports that none are going to be issued on site.

What’s the difference between a Special Constable going to the Insurance Centre and doing the examination or the owner driving to the Police station. It is far more efficient for the driver to go to the Bodyshop establishment and having the SC go to them and save two trips for the driver.

So the question is still for whom is this convenient; the Police or the driver and at what cost to the public for duplication?

Pierre
Reply to  ben
5 years ago

Ben, if in an accident is $2000 or more you must file an accident report within 24 hrs at a an approved Collision Reporting Collision Centre where police are on duty, which any Police dept in Ontario will tell you where to go if you phone them or there is a list on Website. The closest ones near Cobourg are Bellville, Oshawa or Peterborough at the moment.
Having a Collision reporting centre in Cobourg will save a lot of time, for those involved in an accident.
You can also get lots of info on accident reporting from your insurance provider. Do some research and enjoy instead of complaining all the time.

ben
Reply to  Pierre
5 years ago

Pierre since when is asking questions complaining? Stop trying to malign people