REPORT

RAPPORT

 

 

DATE:

 

18 October 2011

TO/DEST:

 

Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board

FROM/EXP:

 

Acting Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service

SUBJECT/OBJET:

OTTAWA POLICE SERVICE - STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

 

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board:

1.      Receive this report for information.

2.      Forward this report to City Council for information as per Council’s request.

 

 

BACKGROUND

 

The City of Ottawa has developed a Corporate Planning Framework which sets out strategic priorities for the current term of Council.  At its 12 May 2011 meeting, the Finance and Economic Development Committee (FEDCO) recommended that Council approve the Framework and direct the City Manager to work with the Mayor, Standing Committees, and the Transit Commission to develop draft strategic priorities for the 2011–2014 term for Committee and Council consideration in June 2011.  With respect to external Boards, FEDCO passed a motion to:

 

·         Inform the Ottawa Police Services Board, the Ottawa Public Library Board, the Ottawa Board of Health, and Ottawa Community Housing about City Council's Corporate Planning Framework and its strategic priorities for the 2011–2014 term of Council; and

 

·         Request that these external boards undertake a similar exercise to develop their strategic priorities for the 2011–2014 Term of Council and report back to City Council on any actions taken as a result of this request.

 

As follow-up to this motion, the Police Services Board received a presentation on City Council’s Corporate Planning Framework and strategic priorities, as well as the strategic priorities contained in the 2010-2012 Business Plan, and the actions and timelines to be taken to respond to Council’s request.  A similar presentation was made to City Council on 13 July 2011 prior to Council approving the Term of Council strategic priorities.

 

The timing of this report is to coincide with budget deliberations commencing 26 October 2011. 

 

DISCUSSION

 

The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa is the Ottawa Police Services Board’s fifth business plan to ensure 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 grouped into four strategic priorities.  It was developed through the engagement of, and in consultation with residents, municipal elected officials, community partners and Ottawa Police members to address community policing priorities.  The Plan assists in guiding the police program and service delivery decisions to ensure that our city is safer tomorrow than today.

 

The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa articulates how the Board and the Ottawa Police will successfully achieve its vision and mission (Annex A) and demonstrates how the Ottawa Police will effectively and efficiently respond to community concerns and is supported by the Police Service’s Information Technology and Facilities strategies, together with the Long-Range Financial Plan and annual budget cycle.  The actions needed to achieve the desired results are grouped into the four strategic priorities that provide a common focus of accountability and align operations:

 

·         Reducing, Investigating & Preventing Crime;

·         Investing in our People;

·         Enhancing Partnerships & Interoperability; and

·         Expanding Public Education, Community Engagement & Mobilization.

As a means of regular and ongoing tracking of progress and performance, the Board receives progress reports on the Business Plan every six months, in January and July each year.   This is not the only mechanism to report on progress; the annual Year in Review, 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 additional means for the Board to monitor progress in achieving the strategic priorities in the Business Plan. 

 

 

With the current 2010-2012 Business Plan at the mid-term of the business cycle, the Board received the regular performance and progress update in July 2011, and had already begun the ground work to commence the strategic planning process for the period 2013-2015 when Council’s request was received.

 

Strategic Alignment - Term of Council Strategic Priorities and Ottawa Police 2010-2012 Business Plan

 

While the Police Service will continue with its next strategic planning cycle as planned, the Board and Police Service committed to identifying the linkages and alignment between the Term of Council strategic priorities and those in the 2010-2012 Business Plan, as well as undertaking a mid-term review to consider progress to date on the current Business Plan, new and emerging community and policing issues, and the City’s current fiscal environment and other operational realities.  Based on this input, strategic priorities of the Board and the Police Service would be refocused for 2012 to 2014, as needed.

 

With the approval of the Term of Council strategic priorities, the Police Service reviewed Council’s priorities, undertook a comparative assessment to determine where and how the priorities in the 2010-2012 Business Plan link to Council’s priorities.  The assessment highlights numerous points of intersection that are detailed in Annex B and summarized below:

 

City Council 2011-2014 Priorities

2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa

Employee Engagement

Strategic priority of Investing in our People

 

Service Excellence  - Improving operational performance and client interaction

“Service-Excellence-Ethics”, supported by strategic initiatives of Strategic Deployment Review and Criminal Investigative Service Enhancement Project

 

Healthy and Caring Communities - Safe, secure and accessible communities

Strategic priority of Reducing, Investigating & Preventing Crime, and goal to be compliant with AODA

 

Governance, Planning and Decision Making- Management controls and public confidence in services

OPS has adopted a number of strategic initiatives that have resulted in improved management controls (e.g. overtime) and strives to ensure confidence in our services

 

Financial Responsibility - Council’s fiscal direction and prudent fiscal management

OPS is aligning to Council’s fiscal direction and have demonstrated prudent fiscal management, as "efficiency targets" have been identified in past budgets

 

Economic Prosperity - Supports to immigrants in Ottawa

Strategic priority of Reducing, Investigating & Preventing Crime , strategic goal of supporting youth (e.g. strategic initiative YIPI Program)

 

Environmental Stewardship

OPS supports Environmental Stewardship through the implementation of an OPS Anti-Idling program and  new facilities (e.g. Huntmar) LEED certified.

 

 

The Ottawa Police will continue to participate in the City’s Corporate Planning Framework to ensure that community concerns for “Public Safety and Security” are reflected in the City’s ongoing Strategy Review process. 

 

Strategic Priorities for 2012 to 2014

 

As presented to the Board and City Council, the Police Service undertook the following three step mid-term review of the existing strategic priorities:

On 30 September, Police Services Board members and representatives and the Ottawa Police Executive Team held a joint session to review the current Strategic Priorities by considering:

 

·         Progress and accomplishments to date on the 2010-2012 Business Plan; 

·         Linkages between the Ottawa Police Business Plan and City Council’s Strategic Priorities; and,

·         An abbreviated scan of trends and issues (e.g. demographics, crime, legislative, policing and community) that have the potential to impact the community over the next three years. 

 

Based on this input, group discussions, and reflections, participants identified two areas of renewed focus:

 

        i.      Recognizing the current fiscal and operational realities, the need to ensure continued service value through a review of core programs and services, that builds on the work completed under the Strategic Deployment Review and Criminal Investigative Services Enhancement Project to improve the Service’s ability to effectively and efficiently respond to community concerns while ensuring accountability and compliance with statutory requirements, and

      ii.      Continue to monitor and understand the impact of existing and emerging demographic shifts and growth trends in the City.

 

Following approval of the 2012 Budget, a review of the current strategic priorities in the 2010-2012 Business Plan will be undertaken to prioritize deliverables that remain achievable based on the operational realities, the 2012 budget and resource allocation, and to identify those that will need to be delayed, and report back to the Board on the results of this exercise.

 

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

 

The 2010-2012 Plan for a Safer Ottawa was a product of many months of collaborative work undertaken by engaged citizens of Ottawa, members of the Police Service and the Police Services Board, and reflects the needs of our community and members of the Police Service.

 

During the Plan’s three-year horizon, regular and ongoing community, member, and stakeholder input and feedback is received, during the development and implementation of projects and initiatives that are identified in the Plan.  Additional input is also received at Police Services Board meetings and events, community meetings and through ongoing consultations with community-based policing partners, organizations, and stakeholders.  Additional input from Police Services Board members and the Executive of the Police Service, along with the results of the 2011 Mayor and Councillor Survey was received and utilized during the mid-term review of the Strategic Priorities in the Plan. 

 

CONCLUSION

 

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 mid-term review was an opportunity to review City Council’s strategic priorities, identify linkages, and reflect on current operational realities and community concerns.

 

The Police Service will continue to fulfill its core policing responsibilities to address community concerns with initiatives to reduce and prevent crime, improve assistance to victims of crime, enhance our community relationships and partnerships, and improve supports to our members.  The Ottawa Police will continue to participate in the City’s Corporate Planning Framework to ensure that community concerns for “Public Safety and Security” are reflected in the City’s ongoing Strategy Review process, and ensure that Council’s strategic priorities are considered upfront in the development of the OPS Business Plan for 2013 to 2015.

 

The Ottawa Police will be moving forward in 2012 with a new strategic initiative that will address fiscal and operational realities, while keeping a pulse on emerging trends and community issues.  The Chief has committed to ensure continued service value through a review of core programs and services. Tied to the Business Plan’s overall theme of “Service-Excellence-Ethics”, this review will respond to community concerns, effectively and efficiently deliver policing services to residents and ensure accountability and compliance with statutory requirements.   This strategic initiative is to be considered as part of the 2012 budget.

 

 

(Original signed by)

 

Charles Bordeleau

Acting Chief of Police

 

 

Attach. (Annex A, Annex B)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This document contains information that reports on activities related to the Ottawa Police Service Business Plan.