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REPORT RAPPORT |
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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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26 April 2011 |
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TO/DEST:
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Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM/EXP:
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Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT/OBJET: |
PERFORMANCE REPORT – FIRST QUARTER 2011
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The Ottawa Police Service monitors and evaluates information on a variety of performance metrics. The Service also contributes data to a number of local and provincial initiatives, including the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI) and the Municipal Performance Measurement Project (MPMP). As part of a cooperative effort in sharing performance data, performance indicators are first presented to the Board then forwarded to the City of Ottawa for inclusion in its Quarterly Performance Reports.
DISCUSSION
As part of our commitment to measuring performance, the Ottawa Police continues to work with the City by providing selected metrics to be included in the quarterly performance reporting framework, including:
§ Total calls for police service;
§ Emergency response calls for service (Priority 1);
§ Response performance on Priority 1 calls (on-scene within 15 minutes, 90 percent of the time);
§ Service time (citizen-initiated, mobile response calls); and,
§ Number of Criminal Code Offences per sworn officer.
This information has been regularly provided to the City’s Performance Measurement Branch. The measures are also included in the annual OMBI report and as part of the Ottawa Police performance measurement framework launched in 2008. First quarter metrics are now presented to the Board prior to being compiled with other city data for Council.
Total Calls for Service – All Priorities
In the past five years, the Ottawa Police received an average of 370,000 calls for service annually. Last year, the number of calls received grew by six percent, to over 386,000.
Total call volume continued to rise in the first quarter, growing by 2,000 calls (2%) compared to the same period in 2010. The increase may be attributed to a rise in 9-1-1 calls determined to be non-emergencies, known as Alternative Response. The increase in total call volume was offset by a 16 percent decline in proactive policing calls generated by frontline personnel (-4,700). Examining the geographic distribution of officer initiated calls reveals that the decline is primarily concentrated in Central (-3,000) and West Divisions (-800). Calls for service initiated by members of the public remained constant in the first quarter when compared to the previous year.
Emergency Calls for Service (Priority 1)
After falling by 11 percent in 2005, Priority 1 call volume rose for the past five consecutive years to 77,086 calls in 2010. Emergency call volume in the past year grew by one percent, or 1,000 calls.
In the first quarter, emergency calls requiring an immediate police presence grew by one percent to nearly 16,400 citywide.
Both Central and East Divisions experienced a modest first quarter increase, rising by three and two percent, respectively, while emergency call volume dropped slightly (-2%) in West Division.
The Ottawa Police aims to respond to Priority 1 calls for service within 15 minutes 90 percent of the time. For the past five years response performance has fluctuated between 87 to 90 percent. Call volume, travel time, and available resources most influence police response.
In the first quarter, response performance remained in line with results achieved in the past four years (88.7 percent).
Service Time (Citizen-Initiated, Mobile Response Calls for Service)
Service Time refers to the cumulative amount of time, in hours, officers spend responding to and dealing with calls for service from the public. Service Time is used for operational planning and deployment of personnel. In 2010, service time rose by nearly 10,000 hours (3%) to 285,000 citywide.
Seasonally, reactive workload is lower in the winter months with variations in climate influencing call volume and criminal behaviour. For the past three years, service time for the first quarter has increased, rising by three percent in 2011, to nearly 68,000 hours. The increase may be partially attributed to an additional 2,500 hours spent on calls in East Division, which included a homicide in City’s south end.
Number of Criminal Code Offences Handled per Police Officer
The number of reported Criminal Code of Canada incidents prorated over the number of sworn personnel is one indication of workload. This, of course, does not capture the entire scope of police operations, including proactive initiatives, assistance to victims of crime, traffic enforcement/Highway Traffic Act violations, street checks, and other community and public safety activities. In 2010, the number of Criminal Code offences declined five percent (2,000 offences) compared to the same time period last year.
In the first quarter, the number of Criminal Code offences per officer fell by more than eight percent compared to the same period in 2010. The decline in number of offences per officer may be attributed to declining number of criminal offences.
The 2010 Crime, Police, and Traffic Statistics report will be presented to the Board and released to the public in May 2011. The Board will continue to receive quarterly performance updates as part of the performance measurement framework contained in the 2010-2012 Business Plan. Given that road safety and aggressive driving continue to be a community concern, the presentation and tracking of Provincial Offence Notices (PONs) or Highway Traffic Act (HTA) violations will be added to the quarterly report in 2011. Finally, Ottawa Police representatives will continue to serve on the OMBI Police Expert Panel, the national Police Information and Statistics (POLIS) Committee, and other venues that contribute to the ongoing discussion, improvement, and transparency of police performance measures.
(original signed by)
Vern White
Chief of Police
This document contains information that reports on activities related to the Ottawa Police Business Plan.
