By Andrea Myland
The call is Priority Three.
It isn’t life-threatening and a police officer is not needed immediately on the scene.
These calls make up 70 per cent of the calls to the Ottawa Carleton Regional Police. But this will be changing in the new year when a transition to community-based policing takes place.
As of Jan. 17, the Ottawa-Carleton police will incorporate district policing, as part of changes in the community-based model. The three current Ottawa-Carleton divisions (east, central, west) will be broken into 16 districts.
Now officers work in different districts each day, but under the new district policing system they will be assigned to a district permanently, which will bring the police closer to the community they serve. This will increase the police presence by four to six people on each shift.
“The whole aim is to put as many police officers in front-line policing,” said inspector Lynda Smith. “By getting as many officers at district levels, with a number of functions, it will allow the police to be more efficient, and be able to spend more time on problem solving.”
Smith says the new districts system will help police focus on other concerns.
“In cases like fender-benders, often the two drivers can come to an agreement and go to the community-police centre, the collision-reporting centre, or the divisional centre. By doing this, it allows the police to work on other problems.”
Most of the Centretown district will be part of District 22 and 24. Factors such as demographics and the average number of calls received were considered when the divisions were made.
“Many different police departments have tried this and we have adapted it to our own meaning,” said Gail Johnson, director of corporate planning with the regional police. “It will allow the community to have a local response and help them identify with a group of police.”
Smith agrees. “In Centretown, the main problems are drugs, street prostitution, Liquor Licence Act and associated problems. There is a need for visibility of officers.”
Somerset Coun. Elisabeth Arnold said she thinks district policing is positive.
“It is important that issues can be dealt by the same group of people. It can be very frustrating, like any bureaucracy, if the concern doesn’t go to the right department. It is better if police are in the same place and are familiar with the problem.”
Those in the business community hope that the change-over will also mean some major modifications explained Gerry LePage, executive-director of Bank Street Promenade.
“I would like to see the hours of operation of the community policing centre at Somerset change. Criminals don’t keep nine to five hours and there is a need for both a visible presence and a central location where there is a safe area for people to go.”
An increase in both the commercial strip and the residential strip has increased the need for more police coverage so that people can feel comfortable in their own community said LePage.
“Business owners want a visible deterrent and we realize we can’t have that 24 hours a day seven days a week but that doesn’t mean total absence either. We are looking for a happy medium. Generally, we feel there is a need for more police but what that means is very subjective. It is a wait and see attitude right now,” said LePage.
In the short term, district policing will cost more. But Smith says it is worth it.
“District policing is not cheap but it will show to be much more effective and efficient in the long run as the community gets involved. It can’t be based on money but instead it should be based on community satisfaction.”