Accolade for retiring PEC OPP constable for being region’s number one

PC Tony Merrall with his wife, Michelle

Provincial Constable Anthony “Tony” Merrall of the Prince Edward County OPP Detachment was presented with the 2020 Accolade Award for “Enforcement” by Commissioner Thomas Carrique, at OPP General Headquarters in Orillia on Friday, Oct. 22.

Detachment Commander John Hatch noted Merrall has been an officer in Prince Edward County for his entire career.

“Tony ranked first for HTA enforcement in all of East Region for two years, and provincially he ranked second in 2018, and third in 2019. After spending 14 years with the OPP, Tony officially retires on Jan. 30th, 2022.”

Merrall received the award for outstanding enforcement during 2018 and 2019. Throughout those years, he stopped a total of 3,568 vehicles for various Highway Traffic Act (HTA) violations. These traffic stops resulted in 2,374 provincial offence notices, of which 1,956 were for ‘speeding’, 93 for ‘no seatbelt’, and 14 for ‘distracted driving’. He also initiated 280 R.I.D.E. programs, which helped remove nine impaired drivers from our local highways.

“To be the number one OPP Enforcement Officer in East Region two years in a row is quite an achievement, considering Tony was working in Prince Edward County, which does not have a 400 series highway running through it,” added Hatch. “All of us at the PEC OPP Detachment are going to be very sad to see Constable Merrall retire… but I know that many of the motorists will be happy that they won’t be stopped by Tony out on the highways in 2022!”