By Natalie Johnson
Centretown safety groups say they will have to increase community efforts to cut the district’s crime rate in order to offset the hiring of only 20 new city police officers this year.
After having its first proposal rejected by its board on Feb. 7, the Ottawa Police Service had to “go back to the drawing board” and cut its budget by 75 per cent, says Geoff Simpson, the police’s director of financial services and material management. To do so, he says, it was necessary to settle for only two-thirds of the 30 needed officers.
The decision means the city now has fewer officers per capita than it has had in recent years. But the situation is manageable, says Simpson.
Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes agrees this is the case for Centretown, despite the fact that the area’s high crime rate is second only to that of Rideau-Vanier. While she supported the police’s original plan, she doesn’t think the district’s law enforcement is lacking.
“I think the police are very busy in the area, and that’s a good thing,” she says.
Crime in Centretown is usually related to drugs and prostitution, says Staff Sgt. Samir Bhatnagar, who is responsible for the area’s community officers. But foot, bike, and plainclothes patrol is allowing the police to reduce the prevalence of law breaking.
“We definitely put a dent into it,” he says. “That’s what our office does for the majority of the time, is spend time working on those issues.”
In addition, a new car patrol zone just west of Preston Street means Centretown now has an extra back-up officer at all times, says Bhatnagar.
“It’s definitely going to make a difference as far as responding to calls for service,” he adds.
Meanwhile, another patrol organization hopes to soon fill any gaps in service. The non-profit Guardian Angels group plans to open an Ottawa chapter and have volunteers monitoring city streets by May, says organizer Kelly Duval. While the Angels are not substitutes for officers, the aim of their presence is to deter crime where and when police cannot be present, he says.
“We’d like to be considered something that’s an essential system here in Ottawa, especially in light of the fact that the police aren’t getting a higher budget,” he says. “They just don’t have the resources, the manpower, and the money to handle everything.”
The chapter currently has 15 volunteers, and will offer to patrol Centretown, Duval says. The group also hopes to get community members involved in cutting crime by passing their feedback and ideas onto the police, he adds.
This type of participation is absolutely necessary, agrees Nancy Worsfold, executive director of Crime Prevention Ottawa.
“A wide range of players are involved in keeping our communities safe,” she says. “It’s not just police.”
Worsfold’s organization, which seeks to enhance the city’s safety, has identified Centretown as a problem area. But members will focus on helping other neighbourhoods because so much is already being done for Centretown, she says.
Mostly, the group does not want to duplicate the current effort of Taking it to the Streets, she adds. That project is using a community survey to identify where Centretown residents feel unsafe, whether they have been victimized, and which problems they think merit the most attention.
The results of the survey have yet to be determined, but they will be released March 24 at a forum at the Jack Purcell Community Centre, says project co-ordinator Susan Love.
When Centretown’s most significant safety issues are revealed, she says, community groups will be able to more effectively affect change.
This is always welcome, says Centretown community police officer Const. Nathan Hoedeman.
“I don’t think we’ve exhausted the opportunities to get citizens mobilized,” he says.
“There’s a lot of work to be done with the resources that we have before we’re able to say we need more.”