We received yet another reminder yesterday of the danger faced everyday by those who protect and serve.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his thoughts are with the loved ones of Sergeant Brandon Malcolm, who died at the scene of his police-motorcycle crash around 5:30 pm yesterday on the eastbound 401 by Burnham Street North in Cobourg.
It was a single vehicle motorcycle crash. The investigation into the cause is continuing.
What we do know is that Malcolm was a respected member of the OPP who joined in 2020 and participated in a number of activities, including being a member of the force’s Golden Helmets motorcycle team which tours the province to put on demonstrations.
Our hearts go out to members of Northumberland OPP who knew Sergeant Malcolm and let me assure you that you will be in our thoughts, as will his family, in the days and months ahead as you deal with this tragic loss.
Working with any police detachment, OPP or otherwise, comes with a very real danger of suffering a significant injury or worse in the course of your day-to-day responsibilities.
Whether it’s a crash, a criminal or a catastrophe, you are often in the front row for events that the rest of us get to see at a safe distance.
Every officer’s death is a reminder of the risk that they and their families have to come to grips with every day. It’s a condition of employment that few of us would accept and not enough of us appreciate as we live our lives under the protection they provide each and every day.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
