Belleville Police Service welcomes new members

By Marc Venema

There are some new faces at the Belleville police station.

Constable Matt LaFrance and Constable Kirk Young were officially sworn in as the newest members of Belleville Police Services on Tuesday afternoon.

Both officers have experience with other police forces in the province. LaFrance served with Ottawa Police Service for the past five years while Young served in northern Ontario with the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service for the past two and a half years.

Both men are returning to family and friends in the area where they grew up. LaFrance grew up in the Trenton area and attended high school at East Northumberland Secondary School in Brighton. Young attended high school in Picton and received his police training at Loyalist College.

Cory McMullan, Belleville’s police chief, said the fact that both men have experience and are from the area made it an easier decision.

“Both of them have excellent experience,” McMullan said. “They both have connections to Belleville, they’re returning to Belleville, back home to the community, so we were very encouraged.”

McMullan says the addition of the two new officers keeps the number of Belleville Police Services members steady at 88.