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REPORT RAPPORT |
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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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22 March 2011 |
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TO:
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Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM:
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Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT: |
OTTAWA POLICE SERVICE ANNUAL REPORT: ‘2010: A YEAR IN REVIEW’
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BACKGROUND
The ‘2010: A Year in Review’ presents a compilation of organizational achievements, operational initiatives, and preliminary crime statistics and performance figures. The Year in Review is part of the Ottawa Police Service’s ongoing performance monitoring and meets Provincial Adequacy Standards for annual reporting on organizational priorities and objectives.
DISCUSSION
The Review features contributions from sworn and civilian members of the Ottawa Police as well as from our professional and community partners. The features illustrate tangible accomplishments in 2010 and reflect the strategic focus and priorities of the Ottawa Police, as identified in the 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa. Throughout, viewers will experience the interconnected themes of public accountability and transparency and community engagement and partnerships that are building a community that is safer tomorrow than today.
This edition of the Year in Review has been given a fresh new look and feel. For the first time, it is available electronically in an interactive digital format, while still being available in a downloadable, print format. Moving into the digital online format offers numerous benefits, including: improving the quality and interactivity; allowing for easy search by viewers; providing more capacity for articles and content; extending the life of the report (availability throughout the year); and, is environmentally responsible.
The Review includes videos, articles, informative links, and fully interactive performance figures along with preliminary crime statistics at the city-wide and district levels. Viewers can access either English or French versions.
The introduction and opening invites the viewer into the Ottawa Police as an honorary member. As they prepare for their shift, honorary members are welcomed and briefed by Chief White and instructed to use the information presented to assist them in their policing duties.
Content and media ranges from a compilation video from the joint Rogers TV/OPS production ‘On Patrol’ which highlights the role of patrol officers in responding to calls and reducing and preventing crime in the community, to articles on community engagement and partnerships, assistance for victims of crime, and our use of technology to support policing operations. Also available is a selection of photos of Ottawa Police members engaged in daily police work across the City.
A range of performance figures and key statistics including the presentation of calls for service, crime and road safety trends, the authorized strength of the OPS, and the cost of policing the City of Ottawa in 2010 are also presented.
Over 386,000 calls for service resulted in police response in 2010, an overall 6.0 percent increase from 2009 (20,000 additional calls). Priority 1 calls (urgent and/or life threatening) increased by 910 calls from 2009 (1.2 percent).
The City’s overall crime rate dropped by 4.5 percent from 2009 to 2010. Preliminary statistics show a decrease in reported Crimes against the Person (-5.1 percent) and Crimes against Property (-8.4 percent) while Other Criminal Code Offences increased by 29.7 percent, largely owing to Failure to Appear and Bail Violations.
Highway Traffic Act violations numbered 113,612 (a slight increase of 2.1 percent from 2009), while motor vehicle fatalities increased from 25 in 2009 to 36 in 2010 (44 percent).
This year’s Review allows users to select a citywide view or their local police district using an interactive map. A full report on crime, traffic offences, calls for service, and response times across the City and by ward, will be available in the spring.
Police officer strength numbered 1,374 in 2010, a 1.3 percent increase from 2009. The 2010 budget increased by 5.0 percent primarily due to a combination of compensation and benefits, as well as retirement-related costs. The increase also allowed for 23 additional positions to address resource needs in the Youth, Mental Health, Elder Abuse, and Victim Support units.
Similar to previous years, the marketing and communications strategy focuses on creating awareness and expanding and diversifying the audience. This year, Algonquin College students were invited to present marketing and communication ideas as a part of a class assignment, and were in turn presented certificates of achievement from the OPS in recognition their efforts.
The Year in Review will be posted on ottawapolice.ca, with the ability to print a paper version (in pdf), and will be quickly available to a wider audience, both in the City, as well as throughout Canada and internationally. A broad advertising campaign will be launched which includes ads in the print media such as Le Droit, Ottawa Metro, 24H, as well as EMC, the community newspaper which reaches the entire City including rural residents. Alerts will be broadcast using a variety of electronic distribution networks, listservers, and bulletin boards such as Ottawa’s Community 2-1-1. It can also be shared through a range of social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter.
An evaluation of the Review will be undertaken to measure readership and obtain recommendations for improving future publications.
CONCLUSION
The ‘2010: A Year in Review’ represents the ongoing commitment of the Ottawa Police to be accountable and transparent to the community.
In adopting a forward-looking format, the Ottawa Police is among the first police services in Canada to go electronic in preparing its annual report. According to Statistics Canada, Ottawa has among the highest rates of Internet use in Canada. The majority of Ottawa’s population has access to the Internet, either at home, through school, or at work. Importantly, the rate of internet penetration and usage is estimated at 85 percent in rural Ottawa.
In addition to meeting legislative requirements, the Review is an opportunity for improved communication and engagement with the community as it highlights operational initiatives, preliminary performance figures, and organizational and community achievements to build a community that will be safer tomorrow than today.
(original signed by)
Vern White
Chief of Police
