To those closely following City Hall activities last week, you will know that it was an incredibly busy one. The City’s Infrastructure Master Plan, the Solid Waste Master Plan, as well as the Solid Waste Long Range Financial Plan, and the Wildlife Strategy Review, all came forward to Committees. While all of these major projects have been moving forward, I was also able to have a very important meeting in our community. Last week, I brought Ottawa Police Services (OPS) Inspector Sheehy and Sergeant Cleroux out to the community to talk about many of the issues and concerns I have been hearing from you. As we visited areas of the Ward, we discussed concerns about speeding, about vehicle thefts and about break-ins. Here in Orléans West – Innes, we are fortunate that our community is one of the safest when it comes to crimes such as breaking and entering, harassment, assault, and mischief; however, we still have concerns about vehicle thefts, speeding, stunt racing, and community safety.
As a Councillor, I am often asked about my role when it comes to the OPS. Many are even surprised to learn that the Chief and the Service report to a civilian Ottawa Police Services Board, not to City Council. Councillors, like elected officials at all levels of government, are legislatively barred from ever trying to direct or influence police operations. When we are flagging concerns to the police, we must always be mindful to not even seem to be interfering in operations, or we can find ourselves the subject of an Integrity Commissioner’s investigation. With that said, we still have an important role to play in sharing concerns from residents and flagging community problems.
This walkabout with the OPS officers was such an opportunity. We discussed some of the resources and strategies for things like safeguarding your home, Neighbourhood Watch and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). As well, how members of the community can also help the OPS to identify persistent traffic concerns requiring enforcement through the Police’s Online Reporting Tool.
We are very fortunate to live in one of Ottawa’s safest communities, but that does not mean we do not still have issues warranting OPS attention. This was a fantastic opportunity to discuss firsthand, and on site, many of these concerns, and to hear from them on how they are working to address these issues and improve the safety of our city as a whole.
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