Police on hunt for efficiencies
Consultants to seek improvements in electronic reporting, data sharing
A sweeping review of Ottawa police services will look for ways to streamline how the force operates as part of its three-year business plan announced this week.
The review will identify any changes that can be made to improve service to citizens, reduce costs and redeploy resources, said Insp. Steve. Bell, who is in charge of the review.
“The service initiative is about focusing ourselves as a policing organization on providing the very best service to our public,” Bell said.
The review will be carried out by a consulting company that specializes in organizational change and policing. The consultants will help identify new ways of doing business, such as online reporting of crimes.
Right now, there is no way for Ottawa residents to electronically report they had their wallet stolen or their car keyed, Bell said.
“We can definitely improve service to our community by bringing in information in different ways,” Bell said.
Police are also in the early stages of looking at whether criminal record checks can be requested online, Bell said.
In September, police introduced collision reporting centres as a way of streamlining services.
Although the project comes with a $1.2-million price tag, police will save $1.5 million this year on the cost of staff required to process collisions.
New electronic reporting will cut that time by almost half. The paperwork takes so long because police have to first put the collision information into a record management system before handwriting another report to be sent to the Ministry of Transportation. The initiative will make reporting crashes faster, safer and more efficient. The centres will be open 24 hours, seven days a week.
Ottawa police Chief Charles Bordeleau outlined three other areas in the business plan.
The force needs to show the public they are delivering services that “demonstrate to members and the community social value and the positive impact of investing in policing services,” Bordeleau writes in a report to be submitted Monday to the Police Services Board.
Bordeleau said the three-year business plan will also focus on fostering a “culture of open communication and information sharing” to strengthen the force’s relationship with the community.
Ottawa police will also ensure its members have the resources, technology and training needed to keep the community and themselves safe.
Through public consultation, Ottawa police also identified common themes they will focus on in the next three years: transparency, anonymity and greater convenience in reporting, mental health and engaging more with youth.