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REPORT RAPPORT |
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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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19 July 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: |
2010 - 2012 BUSINESS PLAN - SEMI-ANNUAL STATUS REPORT (JANUARY TO JUNE 2011)
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The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa is the Ottawa Police Services Board’s fifth business plan that ensures the delivery of adequate and effective police services for the citizens of Ottawa - responding to emergencies, enforcing the law, crime prevention, investigating crime, maintaining public order and assisting victims. It is a plan of action, comprised of 17 goals and 57 objectives, that was developed in consultation with the community to address community policing priorities and assists in guiding Ottawa Police program and service delivery decisions to ensure that our city is safer tomorrow than today.
The Board receives progress reports on the business plan in January and July of each year. It includes a list of reports approved by the Board that account on progress towards achieving the goals and outcomes as outlined in the Plan for a Safer Ottawa, as well as a self-assessment on progress and accomplishments during the reporting period. This is not the only mechanism that reports on progress. The annual Activity Report, the annual Crime, Police and Traffic statistics and quarterly operational performance reporting (e.g. Call Response, Workforce Management / Career Management, Employer of Choice, etc.) are other means provided to the Board, which have reference to the strategic priorities of the Business Plan.
The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa articulates how the Board and the Ottawa Police will successfully achieve its mandate and vision and demonstrates how the OPS will effectively and efficiently respond to community concerns. The actions needed to achieve the desired results are grouped into four strategic priorities that provide a common focus of accountability:
· Reducing, Investigating & Preventing Crime
· Investing in our People
· Enhancing Partnerships & Interoperability
· Expanding Public Education, Community Engagement & Mobilization.
A self-assessment is completed every six months and the results reported to the Police Services Board, Police Executive, the community, and members of the Ottawa Police. We are currently at the half-way point in the three-year business cycle and the self-assessment indicates that there continues to be demonstrated progress in achieving the desired outcomes and goals expressed in the 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa. The annual Directorate Operational Plans and the Business Plan Implementation/ Action Plan (I/A Plan) are valuable tools that are used in the self-assessment and monitoring / reporting on progress.
As a proxy measure, over 400 operational/tactical actions and metrics have been identified in Directorate Operational Plans that support and align with the strategic priorities and goals of the organization during the past 18 months. To date, over 40 percent (175) have been completed and are now part of regular business; another 220 are started and are well underway, while a dozen are on hold. At this point, indications are that continued progress towards the outstanding work will be achieved; however, future budget and resource allocation may impact the Police Service’s ability to realize the intended outcomes. The results of the self-assessment are included in Annex A. Below are highlights of key results and accomplishments attained during the first two quarters of 2011.
Reducing, Investigating and Preventing Crime
ü A number of operations were concluded in the last six months including:
- Four adults were charged and $500,000 of drugs and cash were seized in January during Project Upsilon;
- 12 individuals were arrested, 103 charges laid including 32 charges of firearm trafficking as part of a joint investigation with the Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit into illegal gun trade in Ottawa, referred to as Project Lancaster. Also seized were cash and drugs, including marihuana and cocaine with a street value of $89,000;
- Project Bypass (April) resulted in 266 charges against 59 individuals, the seizure of a large amounts of marihuana and growing equipment, and cash; and
- After a five month investigation by the Street Crime Unit of street level trafficking in the Byward Market and Rideau Street area, 93 suspects were identified as trafficking illicit drugs as part of Project Infusion.
ü Provincial funding received to expand the "Urban Priority Schools Pilot" project to support an additional School Resource Officer (SRO) to focus on west-end priority schools serving the Ritchie-Ramsey catchment area. The funding envelope allows the Police Service to expand "Violence Risk Assessment" training to Youth Services Bureau, Boys & Girls Club, and CHEO Youth Services personnel as well as Level II training to School Resource Officers.
ü The Co-Chairs of the Coordinated Victims Assistance Program (CVAP), (Supt. Skinner of the OPS and Barbara Mackinnon of the Children’s Aid Society) hosted a Stakeholder Workshop during National Victims of Crime Awareness Week. The workshop embraced the theme “Many Voices, Many Paths” and engaged Ottawa service providers and victim advocacy groups to build a collaborative network to connect and support services to victims of crime in Ottawa. CVAP has reviewed its terms of reference and has decided to transition CVAP to CVAN Ottawa – the Coordinated Victims Assistance Network of Ottawa and in the fall will hold the first CVAN Ottawa Steering Committee meeting with all regional victims of crime service providers, funders and advocates.
ü Ottawa Victim Services and the Police Service continue to collaborate on a number of fronts. OVS has provided practical information and training to Community Police officers; provided resource material for distribution through the CPCs; and, during the National Victims of Crime Awareness Week in April 2011, the Police Service participated in Ottawa Victim Services’ Open House to educate the community on OVS supports to crime victims in our community.
ü To reduce the number transports, decrease time delays in updating CPIC and increase the capacity of trained individuals to take DNA samples from persons in-custody, two Special Constables have been trained, with two more scheduled for training in July.
Investing in our People
ü To protect workers from workplace violence and address workplace harassment (Bill 168) the Police Service implemented mandatory training for all members through the Police Services CPKN e-learning portal.
ü A two-day comprehensive skill-based workshop/training session was held in late March, for professionals in the school, the community and the police who are, or will be conducting the threat/risk assessments as part of “Community Violence/Threat Risk Assessment Protocol“ that establishes a standardized collaborative response, sharing of information, advice and support between school staff, the community, community partners and responding police personnel for all high risk situations, adopted by Ottawa’s four school boards and the Ottawa Police.
ü To support the health and safety of members, the Chaplaincy Program was expanded to a Chaplaincy/Spiritual Program in June to provide members and their family’s access to chaplains / spiritual leaders for spiritual and emotional support during times of need.
Enhancing Partnerships and Interoperability
ü Ottawa Police members actively participated and contributed to the success of the leadership team involved in Justice on Target, an initiative of the Ministry of Attorney General to reduce the number of court appearances, streamline processes and reduce delays in the court system.
ü To raise awareness of the impact of violence against women and children, the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence against Women (OCTEVAW) launched “The Clothesline Project” painted messages on t-shirts which were on display at 474 Elgin Street, one of many public locations throughout the City.
ü Over 45 people attended the Overbrook Community Council meeting held on January 27th to recruit volunteers for the “reactivated” Overbrook Neighbourhood Watch.
ü Continued participation in community-based youth programs such as: St. Lukes Basketball game charity event, Hintonburg community youth ball hockey event, Juvenile Diabetes hockey event; weekly participation in "Kids Fit", an afterschool police fitness and youth initiative to develop relationships based on a fitness lifestyle in the Overbrook area; a series of police/youth basketball games in the Lowertown area to develop trust; regular programming as a result of the "building youth capacity" leadership programming which included a youth leader workshop as well as a youth leader weekend YMCA camp with police.
Expanding Public Education, Community Engagement and Mobilization
ü On April 26th the Ottawa Police Services Board, as part of its community outreach and engagement strategy, hosted a dialogue on “Community Solutions for Preventing Youth Crime”. Over 55 interested community members shared their ideas on how to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime.
ü Through the Flag and Banner Program, the community and police come together in partnership to create a culture of mutual respect and build strong communities and understanding. The OPS, in partnership with the community, celebrated Irish Week; Vietnamese Culture Month; Vaisakhi with the Sikh Community; Asian Heritage Month; Black History Month; International Women’s Day; and International Day Against Homophobia.
ü Through a pilot partnership project with Vancouver’s eComm 9-1-1, the Ottawa Police has been given permission to use and modify 9-1-1 promotional material in the Ottawa Police public awareness campaign to reduce the amount of accidental or false calls to 911 by hang-up, “pocket-dials” from cell phones, missed and prank calls.
ü In response to concerns from Carlington residents about crime in their community, the Ottawa Police launched “Carlington Restore” in January with the support and in partnership with the Carlington Community Development Framework. Through enforcement efforts and community participation there has been a strengthing of relationships and community focus on crime prevention.
During the reporting period the Board has received a total of 46 reports that account on progress towards achieving the strategic priorities, goals and objectives as outlined in the 2010-2012 Business Plan (Annex B).
The Ottawa Police Service will continue to fulfill its core policing responsibilities while maintaining its focus to realize the outcomes in the Plan for a Safer Ottawa. Over the next few months, the Police Service, in consultation with the Police Services Board, will be working with the City of Ottawa to align the Board’s current 2010-2012 Business Plan, with the City’s strategic priorities for the 2011-2014 term of Council. A report to the Police Services Board on the results of this work is expected in the fall of 2011.
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
The Plan for a Safer Ottawa is a product of many months of collaborative work undertaken by the members of the Police Service, engaged citizens, and the Police Services Board. It reflects the needs of our community and members of the Police Service that were identified through the active participation of residents, community partners, and members of the Police Service who contributed valuable input to making Ottawa a safer community. As we move forward with the implementation of the 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa we will strive to maintain an open dialogue with the community.
During the life of the Plan, regular and ongoing community, member, and stakeholder feedback is received during the development and implementation of projects and initiatives that are identified in Annex A, along with additional input that is received at Police Services Board and community meetings and through ongoing consultations with community-based policing partners, organizations, and stakeholders.
The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa is a three-year plan of action that responds to community concerns and will improve the way we deliver policing services in the future. The actions outlined in the Plan will continue to strengthen and foster the long tradition of excellence and community collaboration that this Police Service has established.
Initiatives to reduce and prevent crime, improve assistance to victims of crime, enhance our community relationships and partnerships, and improve supports to our members continue to be priorities of this Police Service over the next 18 months. These and other measures in the Plan were identified through the active participation and valuable input from residents, community partners, and members of the Police Service. As we move forward with the implementation of the 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa we will strive to maintain an open dialogue with the community.
While the evidence from the self-assessment indicates demonstrated progress, the Ottawa Police Service will continue to advance actions and activities to respond to community concerns and improve the Police Service’s ability to effectively and efficiently deliver policing services to residents by “Working together for a safer community”.
(Original signed by)
Gilles Larochelle
Acting Chief of Police
This document contains information that reports on activities related to the Ottawa Police Service Business Plan.
