Ottawa police reveal strategic plan for 2019

The Ottawa Police Service announced its strategic plan on Tuesday and the force says it will be focusing on four key elements over the next 18 months.

The plan was initially approved on June 24 by the Ottawa Police Services Board.

According to police, the 18-month plan was developed in part from input received from residents, community partners and members of the OPS.

According to interim police chief Steve Bell, the service has elected to focus on four key areas after the consultation with members of the public and police service:

1. Advancing community policing: Putting boots on the ground to develop relationships and work with the community to address issues and concerns.
2. Making meaningful progress on equity, diversity and inclusion: Developing an equity, diversity and inclusion office to create an open and inclusive work environment.
3. Supporting members: Giving police proper training and access to wellness programs, and maintaining the right staffing levels to help them do their job properly.
4. Modernizing the work environment: Instituting the front-line mobility project and increasing collaboration to make sure evidence can be shared effectively.

“The plan will help us to continue to deliver effective policing services to the community while still modernizing and finding efficiencies in how we provide those services,” Police Services Board chair Diane Deans said in a release.

Police say the plan was spurred by shifts in demographics, types and severity of crime, the fiscal environment and the city’s geographic mix; the increasing population; and what the service calls a “wide variety of international pressures (that) all combine to create complex challenges for policing.”

“This Strategic Direction will help us prioritize and plan our proactive efforts to address community concerns,” Bell added in a release.

“We are grateful for the continued participation of the community and our members, and we look forward to continuing positive dialogue and reporting back to everyone on our efforts as we move forward.”