Thunder Bay Police Respond to 1,096 Calls; September Figures Show Mixed Changes From Summer
THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay Police Service officers responded to 1,096 calls for service between Sept. 20 and 26, 2026, including 72 motor vehicle collisions, 45 intimate partner violence calls and 45 calls under the Mental Health Act.
The weekly total was close to a July reporting period covered by NetNewsLedger, although the mix of incidents changed. Collision, mental health and weapons calls were higher, while break-and-enter and robbery calls were lower.
More Than 4,200 Calls Handled by Communications Centre
The Thunder Bay Police Service Communications Centre handled 4,241 telephone calls during the week, including 1,902 made directly to 911.
That amounts to approximately 606 telephone calls daily, including 272 direct calls to 911. Officers’ calls for service averaged approximately 157 per day.
These totals measure different activities. Telephone calls handled by communications staff should not be treated as an equivalent number of separate incidents attended by officers.
How September Compares With Earlier Reports
NetNewsLedger’s June 23 coverage reported 1,160 officer calls for service during June 7–13. Its Aug. 6 report recorded 1,081 during July 19–25. September’s total falls between those two weekly figures.
| Weekly reporting period | Officer calls for service | Change in September compared with that week |
|---|---|---|
| June 7–13, 2026 | 1,160 | 64 fewer — down 5.5% |
| July 19–25, 2026 | 1,081 | 15 more — up 1.4% |
| Sept. 20–26, 2026 | 1,096 | Current reporting period |
The July report also recorded 5,034 communications centre calls, including 2,127 direct 911 calls. September’s corresponding totals were lower by 15.8 per cent and 10.6 per cent, respectively.
These comparisons cover selected weeks reported by NetNewsLedger. They are not a summer-wide average.
Collision, Mental Health and Weapons Calls Higher Than July Comparison Week
The following table compares the selected categories in the latest police update with those published for July 19–25.
| Call category | July 19–25 | Sept. 20–26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor vehicle collisions | 59 | 72 | +13 |
| Intimate partner violence | 53 | 45 | −8 |
| Mental Health Act | 22 | 45 | +23 |
| Family disputes | 17 | 23 | +6 |
| Assaults | 32 | 36 | +4 |
| Weapons calls | 15 | 23 | +8 |
| Unwanted persons | 99 | 94 | −5 |
| Break and enters | 20 | 13 | −7 |
| Robberies | 10 | 1 | −9 |
| Liquor Licence and Control Act | 17 | 12 | −5 |
Unwanted-person calls were the largest category listed in the September update, followed by collisions. Mental Health Act calls more than doubled compared with the selected July week.
The September breakdown also shows that intimate partner violence remained a significant part of police demand, with 45 calls in seven days.
What the Numbers Can—and Cannot—Tell Residents
The latest report describes a varied workload involving road safety, interpersonal violence, mental health concerns and property-related complaints.
However, calls for service are not the same as confirmed crimes, arrests or charges. A weapons complaint, for example, does not by itself establish that a weapons offence occurred. The listed categories also represent only part of the week’s total calls.
Comparing individual weeks cannot establish whether crime is rising or falling across Thunder Bay. Changes may reflect short-term fluctuations, reporting patterns or other circumstances that these figures do not explain.
The update does not provide response times, staffing levels or the time officers spent on each incident. Consequently, a lower telephone-call total cannot establish that frontline workload eased or that residents received faster responses.
For a fuller assessment, residents would need consistent data across several months, alongside information about call priority, response times and outcomes.
