| Chatham-Kent CRC Open |
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The citizens of Chatham-Kent have a new way to deal with collisions, in a safe comforting Collision Reporting Centre (CRC). Located inside the Chatham-Kent Police Service headquarters at 24 Third St., the centre is a partnership between the Chatham-Kent Police Service and Chatham-Kent Accident Support Services Ltd., and is supported by the Insurance Industry.
The CRC processes collisions that don't involve injuries, criminal activity or hazardous goods through a one-on-one interview with Chatham-Kent Accident Support Services staff member. If the citizen wishes to report to their Insurer, an electronic copy of the report can be sent to the participating insurance company to deal with the claim in real-time. "The faster insurance companies open the claim, the faster they close it," said Steve Sanderson, President of Accident Support Services International Ltd. , "By having photographs of the damaged vehicle on their desk 15 minutes after you left the centre they, can help you get your life back in order in terms of your transportation."
Motorists need to exchange driver and vehicle information before leaving the scene. Deputy Chief Clare Wiersma believes it's a win-win situation for everyone. "In a lot of cases people will be able to have their accident dealt with and be on their way perhaps even before an officer would be able to respond," said Wiersma. "In many cases officers are tied up on serious assault investigations that prevent them from getting there." |
Aside from freeing up police and expediting insurance claims it increases safety on the roads by clearing collision scenes quickly. "It's a nice safe environment, you're not out in the elements, you're not subjected to secondary collisions and you're not waiting up until 2-3 hours for police to show up in severe snow storms," said Sanderson.
The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and is closed on weekends and statutory
holidays.
In the photo, cutting the ribbon at the grand opening are L-R: Deputy Chief Claire Wiersma, Police Board Vice Chair Uly Bondy, Board Chair Pat Belanger, ASSI VP Bob Gutwein, ASSI President Steve Sanderson |
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