Belleville police constables Jeff Sarley and Tyler Philip received a commendation from the Belleville Police Services Board for their handling of a human trafficking situation in May 2024.
According to a Chief’s recommendation report to the board, the two officers responded to a call initiated by York Regional Police to attend a home in the east end of Belleville for a well-being check on a vulnerable female.
The officers were advised that woman in question was previously a victim of kidnapping and that a male suspect was wanted on several arrest warrants throughout the province for weapons offences. The suspect was reportedly armed with a handgun and was still at large, potentially in the area close to the victim.
Constables Sarley and Philip searched the home for the accused and were unable to locate the suspect but did locate the female victim. According to the report, the constables were able convince the victim to return to the Belleville Police Services building to cooperate with the investigation.
This helped lead to the accused being handed over 50 criminal charges with the suspect later located and arrested by the Barrie Police Service.
Acting Chief Chris Barry said the two officers should be commended for their compassion, empathy and patience in dealing with a dangerous situation involving a vulnerable female victim.
“We had grave concerns for what would have happened to her if they had not taken the time to do such a fantastic job in building rapport, slow things down, get an interview with her, also displaying compassion and empathy for a vulnerable person in our community,” Barry tells Quinte News.
“So we really wanted to commend them and to have the board join me in commending them on behalf of of the organization.”
