Calls for police service in Q3 down slightly compared to last year: report
A report prepared for the Ottawa Police Services Board shows that requests for service in the third quarter of 2022 were down slightly compared to the previous year, but the report concludes that officers are facing “growing pressures.”
The report says the Ottawa Police Service saw a two per cent year-over-year drop in demands for service between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2022. There were 97,265 calls for service in Q3 2022, compared to 99,431 in Q3 2021.
It signals a return to pre-pandemic levels, as any remaining COVID-19 restrictions that were in place at the start of the year were lifted.
“After a decline in demand during months of pandemic-related restrictions, third-quarter results have returned to historical norms,” the report concludes.
Demands for service have been historically lower during times of strengthened pandemic protections, including in early 2022. The report says, despite the year-over-year decline in demands for service in the last quarter, demands were up about six per cent compared to the first quarter of this year.
Online reports are up significantly. Approximately 7,000 reports to police were submitted online, up 12 per cent from Q2 2022 and up 14 per cent from the five-year average, the report states. The rise is attributed to reports of thefts, such as shoplifting, drive-offs at gas stations, and bicycle thefts.
Priority calls, where there is an imminent danger of serious harm or death, or when a crime is in progress, were up quarter-over-quarter, but again down year-over-year, according to the report. OPS reported about 450 'Priority 1' calls in Q3 2022.
Police response time is below the target of arriving within 15 minutes 95 per cent of the time. OPS hit the 15-minute target 90 per cent of the time in Q3. The report says there were 35 calls where officers arrived on the scene beyond 15 minutes.
“A review of these calls identified that the plurality (12) were paramedic assistance calls, while others included a response to the Tiered Response Agreement (TRA) between Police, Fire, and Paramedic Services,” the report says.
The report also shows that the number of criminal code offences handled per police officer is up compared to last year. In the third quarter, the report states that there were eight Criminal Code of Canada offences handled per sworn member, up from around 6.5 in 2021, or a roughly 20 per cent increase, according to the report. This is partly attributed to a 19 per cent increase in the number of reported crimes, most notably shoplifting and vehicle theft reports.
“In concert with other reports submitted to the Board, the results in this report illustrate the growing pressures affecting service delivery, notably staffing,” the report says. “They also reflect the impacts of Ottawa’s growing population and the evolution of policing needs in Canada’s capital region.”
The Ottawa Police Services Board meets Monday for its first meeting of the new term of council. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe will be present for the first time, as will Ottawa’s new police chief, Eric Stubbs, who will deliver a verbal report. Stubbs has already said his goal is to restore public faith in the police service after its actions during the “Freedom Convoy” protest in January and February.
But the first major item of concern for the new chief will be the 2023 budget, which will be tabled in the new year.
Sutcliffe has pledged to increase police funding and hire 25 new police officers per year. His fiscal plan, released during the election campaign, showed he expected the city to generate $40 million in revenue from new properties, some of which would be directed into police services.
The 2022 Ottawa police budget was $346.5 million, a 2 per cent increase from 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.