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
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.