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REPORT RAPPORT |
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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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25 March 2013 |
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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:
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2013 - 2015 BUSINESS PLAN: A PLAN WHERE EVERYONE MATTERS
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RECOMMENDATIONS
2. Approve the 2013-2015 Business Plan: A Plan Where Everyone Matters (Annex B).
BACKGROUND
The Police Services Act, Regulation 3/99, s. 30 (1) requires that all police services boards in the Province of Ontario prepare a business plan once every three years to guide the delivery of policing services to the community.
The 2013-2015 Business Plan is the Ottawa Police Services Board’s (Board) sixth Plan since 1995. It sets the course for the organization for the next three years. It is a collective response to identified community concerns and policing pressures and strengthens the day-to-day delivery of quality policing services to the community - responding to calls for assistance, investigating crime, maintaining public order, assisting victims, enforcing the law, and preventing crime.
The Plan represents the many thoughts, concerns and input that were heard from residents, businesses, school boards, community partners and stakeholders, city councillors, and members of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) and Board. The 2013-2015 Plan focuses the organization on four strategic priorities, along with the goals and outcomes that will drive the organization to be the trusted leader in policing. The actions and initiatives in the Plan will ensure that we will successfully achieve our mandated responsibilities and address community needs.
DISCUSSION
As part of any business or strategic planning process, the 2013-2015 business planning process began with an examination of the accomplishments in the past Plan and the identification of current and emerging community, member and stakeholder concerns and potential challenges.
Developing the Plan
Throughout the process, the Board and the OPS sought and leveraged opportunities to engage and gather input from a broad audience including residents, OPS members, businesses, city councillors, Board members, community stakeholders, community service agencies and organizations, as well as our municipal and public safety partners.
The 2010-2012 Business Plan cycle ended on December 2012. A final progress report was submitted to the Board earlier in January. As reported, much of what was envisioned has been accomplished. As with any long-term plan, there were a number of objectives that were expected to continue into 2013 or have evolved and are now an ongoing function or operational program (e.g. ongoing compliance with the requirements of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), ongoing development of the OPS Business Continuity Plan).
The OPS has also taken stock of what is happening in our community today to identify current and emerging issues, community and OPS member concerns, and potential future challenges. During this phase input was sought from residents, OPS members, businesses, the Mayor and city councillors, Board members, community stakeholders (e.g., COMPAC, GLBT and the Youth Advisory Committee), community service agencies and organizations, as well as our municipal and law enforcement partners. The results from the 2012 Public Survey on Policing Services, the 2012 Member Engagement Survey, and the 2012 Environmental Scan were the focus of much discussion.
Through the scanning process, the evidence suggests that policing is facing unprecedented challenges in relation to a shift in demographics, the changing nature of crime, complexities of the court system, growing public expectations, and fiscal pressures.
The compilation of the research and input from the community and members was considered by the Board and the OPS Executive during a joint planning session designed to reflect on the Police Service’s vision, mission and values, and to facilitate the identification of strategic priorities that would assist the Service in responding to identified challenges, issues and pressures facing the community and the OPS over the next three to five years.
The examination and discussion of the vision, mission and values resulted in the Board and the Executive Team refining all three elements with the sole purpose to improve the clarity and understanding of these core guiding elements for both the community and members. The vision is forward-looking and challenges the organization to reach towards a desired future state. The mission is an expression of the OPS purpose, and the values are the fundamental principles, qualities, and core beliefs that guide the actions, behaviours, and our work in achieving our vision and mission. The vision, mission and values are supported by the core value of the Ottawa Police Service “Working together for a safer community”.
Vision:
The trusted leader in policing
Mission:
To protect the safety, security and quality of life in Ottawa
Values:
Honour, Courage, Service
After extensive review of the input and evidence, four strategic priorities were identified for the 2013-2015 Business Plan. Simply stated, they are: Value | Community | Members | Service.
Between July and November, over 120 sworn and civilian members, representing all ranks and operational areas of the organization, rolled up their sleeves to define these broad themes and to develop draft goals (what is to be accomplished) and objectives (the how). The preliminary draft goals were tested with stakeholders, including the Ottawa Police Association, Senior Officers’ Association, the OPS Executive, the Board’s Policy and Governance Committee, prior to a launch at the community consultation “Let’s Chat about Priorities: A Plan Where Everyone Matters” session held on December 4th, 2012, as well as member consultation open houses.
The over 400 comments gathered through the consultations were reviewed by those directly involved in preparing the respective goals. Minor adjustments and additions have been made to address the themes raised during the consultation phase. A synthesis report that analyzed the input received is attached in Annex A and summarized in the “Consultation” section below. Overall, the community was supportive and satisfied with the strategic directions, goals and objectives as presented.
The final plan for the Board’s approval is attached in Annex B, with a snapshot of the plan captured in Annex C. It is the culmination of many months of collective input and represents the successful engagement, collaboration and feedback from all those who have participated.
Overview of the 2013-2015 Business Plan: A Plan Where Everyone Matters.
This Plan is about improving service and creating a sustainable police service for the community and members. It is about delivering our policing responsibilities in a manner that will balance community expectations with available financial and resource capacity. It is recognizing that we cannot do it alone. We will engage the considerable influence and expertise of our community, municipal partners and our other police agency partners.
This plan is about leading by example. To be recognized as the trusted leader in the community and in the policing community; to be a conduit for transformational change in our city; to be involved in the community; and, to understand and be part of the solution in addressing the root causes of crime, preventing crime rather than simply reacting and enforcing the law.
This plan is about being innovative and continually exploring opportunities to provide the highest quality of police service for the residents of Ottawa. To continue to strengthen the support and investment in our current and future members to ensure that all members have the supports, resources, technology, tools, and training to respond to the community’s call for assistance.
This plan is about ensuring the highest ethical standards of policing, building the public’s trust, being transparent and accountable for our actions, and building a positive culture of “doing the right thing”. Ethical behaviour, both individually and organizationally, results in quality service and demonstrated value to the public.
The Plan identifies 14 strategic goals and 44 objectives that will guide the future direction and represent the areas of organizational focus and accountability for the Ottawa Police Service for the next three years. Community | Value | Service | Members are the four priorities that form the foundation of the Plan. Each of the priorities is built upon values and concerns gathered from the community and members. Together, they will lead towards the achievement of the core value of “Working together for a safer community”.
Four Priorities
An engaged community enables the OPS to assess and identify community safety priorities and involve the appropriate partners to address them. Community and police relationships are built one interaction at a time. The OPS encourages all members to build relationships and engage the community in their daily interactions to enhance community relationships and improve service to the community.
Public education is essential for policing to be successful. If the community does not understand how and why we do what we do, the less likely they are to support our actions. By improving how we communicate with our partners, the community and our members, we will foster a culture of open communication, information sharing and will be able to better educate and inform the community about how we respond to various calls for assistance that are received.
Over the next three years, the OPS will continue to build on our existing partnerships (e.g. COMPAC, Youth Advisory Committee, GLBT) that bring the community and police together to create a culture of mutual respect and better understanding. We will also invest in partnerships with community groups and partners to sustain and meet our growing operational needs. Dialogue with our partners will be ongoing in order to continue to build trust and confidence and improve how we provide service to the community.
The Ottawa Police Service is committed to delivering programs and services that demonstrate to members and the community, social value and the positive impact of investing in policing services.
Over the next three years the OPS will be taking action and focus on our contribution to a safe and healthy community, assessing and evaluating policing services to embrace innovation, and create organizational efficiencies that demonstrate social value, positive impact, and value for money.
The OPS will engage our partners in ways that will create the greatest community impact and improve operational performance, to create an organization where we all strive to identify what are the important issues and services for our community and how to achieve them. All the while, we will examine how we do business and provide service to ensure that the dollars invested in the police service are providing value in our community.
Protecting the safety, security, and quality of life in Ottawa is the mission of the Police Service and this impacts people, the environment, and our organization.
The OPS is dedicated to delivering the highest quality of police service for Ottawa residents, businesses and visitors to the city. The Ottawa Police Services Board and the Police Service recognize the ongoing challenges and the opportunity to lead change within the Ottawa Police Service and the Canadian police sector.
Over the next three years the OPS will be reviewing its services aimed at identifying efficiencies, service improvements and new or alternative ways of doing business, as well as ensuring value for money, through the Service Initiative (Si). It will make use of and leverage technology to improve our ability to reduce, prevent and respond to criminal activity while realizing efficiencies. It will identify opportunities that will allow the Police Service to reinvest savings in service to citizens while responding to our policing responsibilities in an era of constrained budgets. Si is a comprehensive program that aligns with and is supported by the goals and outcomes in the both the Service and Value strategic priorities.
Members of the OPS - civilian and sworn – are integral to what we do and who we are. Their individual and collective performance of their duties and their contributions to their community define the OPS. It is through our members that we define and demonstrate the Ottawa Police’s organizational Vision, Mission, and Values and deliver the critical services that our community depends on. Our members therefore represent our most valued resource and as such, they must be engaged, developed and supported throughout their careers.
The Ottawa Police Service is made up of high calibre, professional and respected members who is proud to work for the organization. The OPS will continue to engage members by supporting a work environment where everyone is working together to achieve a shared vision that adheres to our Values. Police should at all times maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that “the police are the public and the public are the police”, as espoused by Sir Robert Peel, considered the founder of the modern concept of community policing. The police are members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community.
Over the next three years, the OPS will continue to strengthen the support and investment in our current and future members to ensure that all members have the supports, resources, technology, tools and training to respond to the community’s call for assistance. The OPS will also make investments in initiatives to support recruitment, retention and talent development by creating a workplace that enables members to have a robust, challenging and fulfilling career; values and demonstrates ethical leadership at all levels; puts a priority on the health and well being of its members; and creates a Workplace of Choice.
Strategies that Support the Plan
A number of organization-wide strategies are aligned to support the implementation of the strategic directions, goals and outcomes in the Plan, including the Information Management / Information Technology Strategic Plan; the Accommodation / Facilities Strategic Plan; and, the Long Range Financial Plan & Annual Budget.
To be successful, the OPS must translate the Plan into action. The OPS will implement an accountability framework and action plan that will ensure that the outcomes, targets and metrics in the Plan are achieved over the next three years, through ongoing monitoring and reporting to the Board, the community and members.
EXISTING POLICY
This Report is in compliance with the Provincial Adequacy Standards and Board Policy AI-001, Framework for Business Planning. Once approved, it will be forwarded to Ottawa City Council, as per Provincial Adequacy Standards and the Ottawa Police Services Board Policy GA-6, Protocol for Sharing information with Council.
CONSULTATION
Engagement, participation, ongoing dialogue, input and feedback have been an essential component of the business planning process and truly representative of the Plan’s motto: A Plan Where Everyone Matters. From the beginning to the final product, the Board and the OPS have sought to engage and consult with a broad audience. Residents, businesses, school boards, community stakeholders (COMPAC, GLBT, YAC), the Mayor and city councillors, members of the Ottawa Police, Ottawa Police Association, Senior Officers’ Association and Police Services Board members have provided feedback and input at the key informative stages.
While there has been ongoing dialogue throughout the process with multiple stakeholders, two distinct waves of outreach, engagement and consultation have been used to solicit participation and input.
The first wave involved engaging a broad audience to provide input on current and potential future challenges that would help inform the development of the Plan, including:
· residents (e.g. 2012 Public Survey on Policing Services, OPSB Board meetings);
· OPS members (2012 Member Engagement Survey and Directorate Workshops, ongoing consultations with community-based policing partners, organizations, and stakeholders at the operational level);
· Businesses, through the Mayor’s Council on BIA’s;
· the Mayor and city councillors;
· school boards, through the Regional Safe School Committee;
· youth through the Mayor’s Summit on Youth and the OPS Youth Advisory Committee;
· community policing stakeholders (e.g. COMPAC, GLBT, YAC);
· community service agencies and organizations (e.g. CHRC’s); and
· Municipal and law enforcement partners.
Additional input was received through the Board meetings as well as through the Board’s community outreach and engagement meetings.
The second wave of consultation occurred during the first three weeks of December 2012. The Board hosted a city-wide Let’s Chat about Priorities community session, supported by social media presence and consultation sessions for OPS members. The purpose of the consultations was to generate detailed insights on the draft goals for the four strategic priorities.
The bilingual city-wide Let’s Chat session was held at the RA Centre on December 4th, 2012. Attended by over 120 individuals, the participants represented a broad diversity of individuals; from university students through to seniors, a broad diversity of cultures, those with disabilities, and people across income spectrums. In short, a balance of voices of Ottawans who care and who were able to be there.
The success of the evening was a result of the successful community collaboration approach/format and an aggressive outreach strategy that included:
· Preparation of a flyer for city-wide and targeted distribution;
· Ottawa Police Service web site – including materials, online registration and feedback;
· City Councillors were also invited to participate and played an important role by inviting interested stakeholders and communicating with residents in their wards;
· Invitation and distribution through internal networks, email lists, community networks, and partners that included Community Police Officers and volunteers, Diversity and Race Relations, Community Development, Victim Crisis Unit, Ottawa Police extranet sites connected with community partners - COMPAC, ONWEC, GLBT;
· Invitation and distribution through external networks such as: Community Information Centre of Ottawa (211), Aboriginal Working Committee, Community Health Resource Centres, Local Agencies Serving Immigrants, Community Development Framework, Interfaith Ottawa;
· Free posting on public service announcement spaces, community newsletters and calendars;
· Promotion through word of mouth at community and policing events;
· Article in the Ottawa Police Services Board Newsletter; and
· Media Advisories.
Similar to past Board community consultations and events, participants and those unable to attend had the option to provide written input and feedback via multiple channels (e.g. email, mail, fax, ottawapolice.ca web-based feedback option, twitter).
Through this phase of the engagement process, over 400 comments were registered, both by residents as well as by members of the OPS. The common themes that emerged from the comments have been synthesized in Annex A. The following highlights what was represented in the commentary:
· The responsibility for creating safer communities lies with all of us – individuals, community associations, businesses, the media and non-profits – and is not the sole responsibility of the OPS. The OPS has a key role in creating a safer community, but it should not always be the first and only tool that is used.
· Transparency - residents expect very high levels of transparency on the part of the OPS in general and from OPS members. Many comments spoke of the need for the OPS to report more often, more openly, on failures as well as successes, and to explore opportunities to promote the human side of police officers.
· Anonymity and greater convenience in reporting – residents want the ability to report incidents with great convenience (online reporting, forms, tweets, texts), but coupled with that, are asking for a greater degree of anonymity in reporting, so that the complaint or report cannot be linked back to them as individuals.
· Mental health is a concern – and a multi-faceted concern. The importance of the mental well being of police officers was recognized. The societal and social issues that face police, like divorce, suicides, and other related issues, was a cause for concern among the participants, and an issue they wished to see addressed. Participants recognized that police officers are often the first line of contact with those individuals in society who have mental health issues. Another theme was an overall level of compassion in moving these individuals from the police services to more appropriate mental health services in the community, as compassionately and as effectively as possible, given of course the need to protect the safety of all involved.
· Community Police Centres and the Community Police Officers - one of the best-kept secrets of the OPS. Seen as tremendously useful in most communities where they are resident, CPCs and CPOs are seen as one of the potential ways to improve and maintain OPS-Community relationships.
· Engaging the media to report more responsibly, more factually, and in a far less fear-based stance. Many respondents stated that they wanted to see more, positive, media stories, in both the mainstream and the ethnic media. There is the concern that many of the media outlets mostly wish to publish negative news stories, and that this ongoing barrage of negative news will inevitably create a misunderstanding of the role of the police, and maintain lower trust levels between the police officer and the public at large.
· Police and Youth - There were many calls for police to engage more broadly, and more continuously, with youth. Police officers are viewed as potential role models and mentors for youth.
· Communications – Who to call and timely communications. There was the sense that members of the public might not know who to call, when to call, and what to call about. There is the sense that greater communications, about these and about more general contact requirements, would benefit the community. And in the world of Twitter, Facebook and social media applications, is there a way to make timelier, accurate communications available to the broader community, while protecting the integrity of investigations and the personal safety of victims and officers alike.
These are the key themes that were repeated throughout the commentary, around tables and through social media. Overall, participants found the consultation sessions to be very informative and were generally supportive and satisfied with the general direction of the strategic priorities, goals and actions as presented. The valuable input has resulted in minor adjustments and additions to the draft Plan.
Throughout the business planning process, the community and members of the Police Service have shared in setting the future direction of the Service. It was an opportunity to practice and build on our ongoing partnership work with various communities and share partnership-building approaches. In summary, participants repeated that the OPS and OPSB should engage in this sort of open collaboration more often. It is through meaningful partnerships and community engagement that this Plan will be implemented in an effective way.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
The priorities and initiatives identified in the 2013-2015 Business Plan constitute key components of the funding requirements to be identified in the Ottawa Police Service Long Range Financial Plan, and future budget cycles. Implementation of these initiatives is subject to Board approval within available funding as determined within each annual budget.
CONCLUSION
On behalf of the Ottawa Police Service, I am pleased to present the 2013-2015 Business Plan. The Plan Where Everyone Matters is the product of many months of collaborative work and valuable input to making Ottawa a safer community. Engaged citizens, members of the Police Service, the Ottawa Police Services Board, Ottawa Police Association, Senior Officers’ Association, our community partners, many community organizations including business, school boards, city councillors, youth and the residents of Ottawa have taken the opportunity to help shape and set the direction of the Ottawa Police Service.
The Board and the Police Service have received and considered a substantial amount of input, and have identified actions to reduce, investigate and prevent crime; to improve and demonstrate value of our services to the community within a sustainable fiscal environment; to enhance community engagement, relationships and partnerships; and to improve member engagement and supports to our members. The Plan identifies a total of 14 goals and 44 key objectives, areas of organizational focus and accountability over the next three years, within the four strategic priorities of Value | Community | Members | Service.
This report is just the beginning of the process. There is much to do, and we are ready to move forward. While the Plan will present challenges, I am confident that with the members of the Police Service, along with the continued engagement of our community and community partners, we will achieve success. We will strengthen our tradition of delivering quality policing excellence, to be a trusted leader in policing that this Police Service has established in Ottawa and beyond. Together we will create a safer community “Where Everyone Matters”.
(Original signed by)
Charles Bordeleau
Chief of Police
Responsible for report: Superintendent Terry Cheslock
Annex A: Let’s Chat about Priorities: A Plan Where Everyone Matters” What we Heard
Annex B: 2013-2015 Business Plan: A Plan Where Everyone Matters
Annex C: 2013-2015 Business Plan: A Plan Where Everyone Matters Summary
This document contains information that reports on activities related to the 2013-21015 Business Plan
