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REPORTRAPPORT |
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REPORTRAPPORT |
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DATE: |
17 February 2006 |
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TO: |
Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM: |
Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT: |
OUTSTANDING INQUIRY #97: POTENTIAL INTEGRATION OF 3-1-1
CALL CENTRE AND OPS CALL CENTRE |
RECOMMENDATION
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That the Ottawa
Police Services Board receive this report for information. |
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BACKGROUND
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At the Police Services Board meeting on 28 November 2005, during consideration of the report “Integration of Civilian Workforce,” Member Bellemare pointed out similarities between the City’s 3-1-1 call centre and the OPS call centre, stating that 3-1-1 is currently taking non-emergency calls for police. He requested that staff prepare a report showing the number of non-emergency calls being answered by 9-1-1 Operators, how they are broken down and any possibilities surrounding the integration of these two services DISCUSSION
Non-emergency 9-1-1 Calls Annually, the City of Ottawa 9-1-1 Bureau produces reports outlining statistical information regarding the handling of 9-1-1 calls. This statistical information is retrieved from the Ottawa Police CAD system that captures the information as the calls are handled. In 2005, the 9-1-1- Bureau handled 211,372 calls. Of these, 86,575 or 40.95% were classified as non-emergency calls. The following table outlines the break down of these non-emergency calls: |
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Police non-emergency calls made to 3-1-1 Although the City’s 3-1-1 Call Centre does receive police-related non-emergency calls, they do not action these calls; the caller is asked to hang up and call the Ottawa Police administrative number. If a client makes a call to 3-1-1 and ends up in the IVR message tree, they are given the option to be transferred to the Ottawa Police if their call is of a non-emergency police nature. All callers to 3-1-1 are advised that if their call is a life threatening emergency or a crime in progress they are to hang up and call 9-1-1. The OPS Call Centre has the same policy in that they advise callers to hang up and call 3-1-1. It may appear on the surface that both call centres carry out similar job functions, but closer examination shows they are quite different. When the region amalgamated, it was decided to take a centralized approach when it came to how they would handle calls from clients. The city’s Call Centre has a goal of handling a minimum of 80% of the calls they receive, without needing to refer calls to other staff members. Presently, they handle approximately 70% of calls themselves. The OPS Call Centre was not created as a one-stop call service for clients. The OPS Call Centre was created to allow for an accessible, quality-driven service where clients could file reports while maximizing efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of these services. The OPS Call Centre takes over 30% of the Service’s police reports, which frees up front-line officers to concentrate on more serious issues. A report generated over the phone will take, on average, less than 12 minutes, which is very cost effective when compared with dispatching a highly trained officer, who might take over 12 minutes just to arrive at a non-emergency call. Unlike the city, which has one phone number where it can be reached, the OPS must maintain several phone numbers so calls can be prioritized quickly and responded to appropriately. To this end, several years ago, the “Make the Right Call” initiative was developed, which spells out which telephone number to call depending on the nature of the call — life threatening emergency or crime in progress (9-1-1), other emergencies (230-6211), and non-emergencies (236-1222). Job Functions The City of Ottawa 3-1-1 Centre and OPS Call Centre have very different functions when it comes to the type of calls they receive and how they respond to these calls. Calls that are typically addressed by the 3-1-1 Call Centre include: payments of parking tickets, water bills and taxes, marriage licences, birth/death registrations, parking ticket disputes/trial requests, monthly parking permits, city merchandise, publications, brochures, employment opportunities, development services, property standards, and recreation program registrations. Duties also include radio dispatch to field operations, as well as reception and information desk cover-off. The OPS Call Centre is responsible for the handling of priority 3 type police calls for service. Prior to the creation of the Call Centre, priority 3 calls for service were handled by dispatching patrol officers to the scene or instructing clients to attend at a police station, in order to file a report. Approximately 40% of calls made to the OPS Call Centre require agents to create a police report or update an existing one. Many callers to the OPS Call Centre require direction regarding their particular situation, and it is our responsibility to listen to the set of circumstances and offer advice on how they should proceed. One of the most confusing and convoluted areas the OPS Call Centre deals with is in the area of fraud. Many callers are not aware that what they are dealing with is a civil matter, not one that the police will become involved with. The OPS Call Centre agents must have a working knowledge of the Criminal Code of Canada and numerous provincial statutes, such as the Landlord Tenant Act, Trespass to Property Act and Highway Traffic Act, to name a few. They must also be aware of City of Ottawa by-laws that are handled by the police. The OPS Call Centre is required to submit police reports on over 30 different types of issues. The following are just of few of the areas that they must be familiar with in order to submit reports:
The OPS Call Centre also deals with:
Additional Issues For the OPS Call Centre agents to carry out their day-to-day functions, they require access to several systems, such as the Computer Aid Dispatch (CAD), Record Management System (RMS), as well as the Canadian Police Information System (CPIC). On 28 November 2005, a report was presented to the Board, which pertained to the level of civilianization within the OPS and whether or not there were further opportunities to move more civilian responsibilities over to the City. Contained in this report, under the heading “The Special Case of the OPS IT Network”, the limitations and restrictions surrounding the integration of the OPS IT network with the City were outlined. It was indicated that to maintain the integrity and security of the CPIC system, the RCMP imposes very strict standards and regulations. Therefore, prior to the authorized use of the CPIC system, we would have to ensure it is placed into a secure area where only police personnel are authorized to have access to it. All OPS members who have access to CPIC now must be fingerprinted and security cleared by the RCMP. The OPS also compiles a large amount of personal information due to the nature of our work, and this information is accessible through our RMS and CAD systems. The information on these systems must be closely monitored, and there are legal rules that must be followed before any disclosure can be made. One must also take into account that officer health and safety may be jeopardized if confidential or sensitive information is incorrectly disclosed. The OPS is legally bound to follow directions as listed under the Police Services Act. One of the core services that must be offered by a police service is to offer “assistance to victims of crime.” The OPS is a leader among police services when it comes to dedicating resources in support of our community members who have been the victims of a criminal act. The OPS created the first Call Centre in Ontario that was staffed with civilian members who are tasked with providing non-emergency police services quickly and efficiently. The Police Services Board, in consultation with the Chief of Police, is responsible for establishing the objectives and priorities with respect to police services. Once objectives and priorities are established, it is the responsibility of the Chief to administer the police services and oversee its operation. If the OPS Call Centre were to be integrated with the city’s 3-1-1 Call Centre, the Chief would find it difficult to exercise control in an area that he is accountable for. |
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CONCLUSION It may appear on the surface that the city 3-1-1 Call Centre and the OPS Call Centre overlap when it comes to the delivery of services. A review of their respective areas of responsibility shows that their day-to-day job functions are very different. By continuing to operate both call centres, we recognize the many varying needs of our community and provide them with efficient customer service.
The OPS Call Centre provides direct police service to members of our community. In order to maintain good police operations, the Chief of Police must maintain direction and control over the services being offered.
Vince Bevan Chief of Police |
[1] Request for information not related to emergency services i.e.: road conditions, open pharmacy
[2] This refers to a request for service that is a non-emergency where the caller is asked to call back the agencies main phone number i.e.: file a police report.
[3] A cell phone disconnect can be either a hang up or a loss of cell phone service.
[4] Usually caused by accidentally pressing a speed dial set to 9-1-1 or pressing the wrong sequence of numbers.
