Belleville Community Resource Unit
Stories of Downtown
Belleville Community Resource Unit: Constable Crawford, Constable Woodcock and Constable Blake
When visiting the businesses of Downtown Belleville you get to take in the beautiful facade of the store front, discover unique local and international products and dine on delicious food. You may catch a glimpse of the owner as they whize by, the life of a small business owner is hectic – They want to engage with the customer though they also must be the boss, the marketing expert, the cleaner, the server, the accountant and that could be all before noon! We wanted to give those business owners an opportunity to slow down for a moment and share their stories. Because behind each storefront are people who had a dream and put in a whole lot of work to make it come to life. These are some of the stories of Downtown Belleville.
Constable Woodcock and Constable Crawford are two of the officers from the Community Resource Unit in Downtown Belleville, along with Constable Blake who has just recently returned from maternity leave. Josh Woodcock first became an officer in 2014 at the York Region Police and transferred to Belleville in 2016. Aaron Crawford has been an officer since 2015, he started his career in Kingston but transferred to Belleville in 2021. Both joined the unit in late 2023, Constable Crawford in October and Constable Woodcock in November. The officers day to day job includes working their downtown beat, supporting business owners, residents and visitors in the Downtown area. When speaking about this new office, the CRU team relayed “We’re thrilled to open our new office downtown because we believe in the incredible potential this area holds. Downtown is already full with excitement and energy, and we’re eager to show this is a safe community and be part of its transformation into an even more welcoming and dynamic place. Our goal is to make a meaningful impact, demonstrating that downtown is a place where people can visit and is a thriving community”.
The Community Policing Office opened Downtown in mid-July at 211 Front Street. The Community Resource Unit will most often occupy the Community Policing Office during the day. “If you see the sign out the door is open and if you have any questions or concerns you are welcome to stop in and chat to Aaron or myself” says Constable Woodcock. While not in the office he CRU may be attending policing events, strolling the streets or responding to calls throughout the city. Other officers out of the CRU will also be using the office as an auxiliary to complete office duties, have meetings, etc. “ We look forward to developing closer relationships with the public and getting to know the faces of the business community” Constable Crawford states.
It was wonderful getting the chance to speak to Josh and Aaron. Before we left we had to ask one last tough question, what is their favourite cafe/restaurant downtown? “I know it’s an obvious choice, but mine has to be Bourbon Street, their pizza is just unreal” Josh replied. “Caper’s has always been a favourite for me, specifically the Duck Wings.” Aaron stated. Keep following along for our next Story of Downtown.
For behind the scenes fun head to the Downtown Belleville Instagram and Facebook!
Stay tuned for more Stories of Downtown coming your way in 2025
Funded by Bay of Quinte Regional Marketing Board
