Ottawa police launching new 4-district policing model
The Ottawa Police Service says the pilot project of its new district policing model will begin next week.
Superintendent Kevin Maloney told a technical briefing for Ottawa city councillors that the first phase of the pilot project will begin Monday, May 6.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Police say the primary focus of the district deployment model is to "serve each community better and work with City Councillors and their community partners to resolve issues identified in their wards."
The plan adds a fourth "south" police district alongside the existing central, east and west districts, and assigns individual inspectors to the four areas, who will serve as a point of contact. Each district will have between five and seven city wards.
- West: Wards 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 23
- East: Wards 1, 2, 10, 11, 18, and 19
- Central: Wards 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17
- South: Wards 3, 20, 21, 22, and 24
"What this means is a reorganization of the neighbourhood policing directorate," said Maloney. "Sectioning the city into four districts, providing a smaller area where we would be able to take ownership of that and work with the ward councillors to address specific issues in there."
Police Chief Eric Stubbs gave an example of targeted traffic resources.
"The limited traffic resources we have, we want to direct them on those areas and those topics that we're hearing from the community, from the councillors, that need to be targeted," he said.
The presentation outlined a four-point strategy:
- Access: Consistent channels and access to OPS officers
- Account: Improved accountability and transparency
- Affect: Communities partnering with the OPS
- Act: Historically address public safety concerns
Maloney said the new district inspectors would focus on the access and affect aspects of the plan, giving councillors and community groups more access to police.
"District priorities will be identified and the district inspectors will coordinate responses in consultation with their chain of command," the presentation says.
Earlier this month, police outlined a plan to focus on "problematic individuals" and "hot spots" when specifically speaking about the ByWard Market and Rideau Street. The plan includes a "neighbourhood operational centre" in the Rideau Centre that is slated to be open later in May.
The project in the ByWard Market area could be applied to other parts of the city, Maloney said Tuesday.
Stubbs stressed that the project launching Monday is only a pilot and that the final project could change based on what is learned. A timeline provided during the technical briefing shows five parts, stretching from May 6, 2024 into January of 2026.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From collapsing ecosystems to artificial intelligence running wild, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the coming years.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.