Const. Matt Hunt has taken over from Const. Khoa Hoang as Centretown’s community police officer.
Centretown has a new community police officer.
Const. Matt Hunt took over the position from Const. Khoa Hoang three weeks ago.
Coming from the School Resource Officer Program, Hunt has extensive experience working within the community and 12 years with the police force.
He says it was his background with local schools that enhanced his knowledge of community matters.
Hunt’s first step will be to meet with local residents and community leaders, giving them the chance to discuss their problems or concerns.
“I want to learn what the community issues are, and if there are constant issues right now that we can work on before I sit down and make my own goals,” Hunt says.
Hunt is particularly interested in working with youth and has taken part in the Youth In Policing Initiative over the past two years.
Each summer, Ottawa Police Service hires several youths who work with the police in areas of IT, forensic identification, community events and traffic.
“There are a lot of things that I can provide for students in the community and some things that we can work on,” Hunt says.
Staff Sgt. Atallah Sadaka says Hunt’s background as a school resource officer and knowledge of the Ottawa community meant he was more than qualified for the position.
“We were looking for someone with a focus on what the issues are in various communities and who has a background in working with the community, and Matt had all of these. He is very dedicated to this community.”
The change means the end of a three-year run by Hoang, who will remain in the area as part of patrol services.
Hoang is credited with implementing the All Valuables Removed campaign in Ottawa, which he says went on to become one of the most successful and most popular crime prevention initiatives within the Ottawa Police Service.
The initiative involved placing an All Valuables Removed warning card on the inside window of parked cars to deter theft.
As a result, there was a considerable drop in theft from cars since its 2011 launch.
Hoang also contributed to a clean-up initiative of Dundonald Park.
By collaborating with community groups, Hoang helped develop strategies to create a new, welcoming atmosphere within the park.
He established family-friendly activities such as yoga and an outdoor cinema and cracked down on antisocial behaviour such as public drinking and drug use.
Capital ward Coun. David Chernushenko, who worked closely with Hoang, praised his efforts.
“Const. Hoang was greatly respected for bringing a light and personal touch to his professional work,” Chernushenko says.
“He was always available to meet on site, to speak with community associations and to discuss strategies for tackling problems.”