Keeping people safe & well

 

NCLB Implementation Guide

The Law Enforcement

 

Overview
In some of the neighbourhoods in Ottawa, addressing the fear or the existence of crime would be among the top  priorities for action. In keeping with our experience of working in four such communities, the following is a summary of what was done to deal with the law enforcement and community policing activities under the service component of No Community Left Behind in the light of successful community policing initiatives elsewhere.

This part of the implementation guide deals with how collaborative processes, coordination of activities, and focused strategies lead to reductions in crime, violence, and community members’ fear. The law enforcement piece focuses on OPS’s and partners’ strategies to remove serious and visible criminals quickly from high-crime neighbourhoods. Other options, such as joint patrols with OCH security, information sharing with other security agencies, giving OPS agent status for issuing no-trespassing tickets, etc are parts of the approach to reduce criminal behavior in the long term.

Vision
In high crime neighbourhoods, the NCLB process focuses on correction and prevention as two key areas. Law enforcement and community policing represent the correctional aspect of the strategy. Intervention, empowerment and neighbourhood restoration represent the preventive phase. Community policing would be involved in both corrective and preventive activities and would serve as a bridge between the two components. 

The correctional portion of the NCLB process concentrates law enforcement resources on the selected neighbourhood to reduce crime and violence. This is the key to transforming a high crime neighbourhood, reducing the community’s fear and improving the community members’ quality of life. The constant presence of crime and criminality is indicative of a neighbourhood which is not a safe place to live, work or visit. Investment in social development activities does not bear much fruit if there is a lack of interest in participation on the part of community members. Community members live in fear and have little hope for the future unless crime and violence are reduced.

The law enforcement strategy emphasizes suppression of violent crime, gang activity and drug-related crime. Efforts are directed mainly at identifying, apprehending and prosecuting residents and non-residents involved in criminal activities.

The No Community Left Behind strategy gives priority to tactics that focus on quickly removing the most serious and visible criminals from the neighbourhood in collaboration with the landlord, be they Ottawa Community Housing or another private agency.

The law enforcement strategy is developed and undertaken through local collaborative processes with the NCLB Steering Committee playing the lead role. OPS take charge of the Law Enforcement component. However, OPS meet with other partners in the form of sub-committees. Other partners on the sub-committee for law enforcement are usually community leaders and staff from the agencies working directly with the concerned community. Its purpose is to: a) determine the crime issues of greatest priority; b) develop the law enforcement strategy, and resolve or make recommendations concerning law enforcement issues relevant to the No Community Left Behind process.

The first task of the subcommittee is to come to consensus on crime issues of greatest priority. Next, specific goals and objectives and a plan for implementing the strategy are developed. Law enforcement goals are established to:

1.  Reduce violent crime;
2.  Eliminate visible and covert drug markets;
3.  Reduce youth crime.

The tasks identified in the strategy are carried out mainly by collaborations of law enforcement and security service agencies operating in the designated area that focus on specific criminal activities such as drug trafficking, street drug sales, vandalism, and other criminal activity. A range of strategies is used to address the agreed-on priorities.

Successful enforcement programs include gang intervention programs, intensive drug investigations and targeted enforcement. Each NCLB site determines which strategies are feasible to implement and have the greatest impact on crime.

Once the law enforcement strategy is drafted, it is approved by the Steering Committee, which ensures the plan is truly collaborative, reflects the views and opinions of community members, and supports or provides links to other NCLB components. Benefits begin to accrue even before the law enforcement strategy is implemented. The collaborative planning process and activity coordination improve working relationships within the local law enforcement system and ultimately result in improved services to community members.

 

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Centre de Sante Communautaire du Sud Est D'Ottawa

Contact: Abid Jan Tel./ Tél: (613) 737-5115 Ext. 2403  Fax/Télé: (613) 739-8199

NCLB matters because neighbourhoods matter