Bob's Vision

Safety First – Chiarelli Announces Seven-Steps to Improve Neighbourhood Safety

OTTAWA, October 28, 2006 – Today at an emergency session called by the East End Presidents Council in Orléans, Mayor Bob Chiarelli announced seven-steps to improve neighbourhood safety.

The City of Ottawa has the second lowest rate of violent crime in Canada (after Mississauga). And yesterday, the Ottawa Police released statistics which confirm that violent crime across our city dropped by about 7% from 2004 to 2005. Although the news was generally positive in terms of overall safety in our city – the crime statistics revealed that last year Orléans had the largest jump in criminal activity of any area of the city.

Ottawa has an effective crime prevention programs and thanks to the increase in provincial funding Mayor Chiarelli fought for, Ottawa will receive an additional 180 police officers over the next two years. Mayor Chiarelli also negotiated a fifty percent cost sharing with the province for the salaries of the new officers– which will result in a significant savings for Ottawa taxpayers.

“The prosperity and safety of Ottawa is measured through the strength and safety of all its neighborhoods,” said Bob Chiarelli. “We need to do more to make sure that no neighborhood or community is vulnerable to crime.”

Ottawa has an enviable record on crime, but Ottawa can do more to make sure our resources are targeting the city equally and effectively. “It is normal for every city to have “areas of interest” or so called “hot spots,” said Chiarelli. “Now that the police are providing ward by ward statistical reports we will be better able to identify those neighborhoods that require special attention.”

To keep our communities even safer, Mayor Chiarelli is proposing seven steps to improve safety in every Ward, neighbourhood and “hot spot” in Ottawa.

Bob Chiarelli’s plan includes:

• Increasing the number of police on patrol to deter criminal activity;
• Conducting more neighbourhood safety audits to effectively identify crime flare-ups across the City;
• Enhance public safety by increasing transit security;
• Reduce the use of drugs in our communities by cracking down on pushers in our schools;
• Revitalize and establish Community Safety Partnerships in every ward to proactively address and prevent criminal activity;
• Join with other Mayors in Ontario to promote better gun control; and,
• Enhance the visibility, effectiveness of Ottawa’s Neighbourhood Watch Program by establishing a Board of Directors made up of high profile members of the community.

“Ottawa’s police services are doing a great job. But, policing is a partnership and we can all do more to strengthen our neighbourhoods and to help police identify when crime is occurring in our backyards,” commented Chiarelli.

As Mayor, Bob Chiarelli has:

• Allocated additional resources to police to reduce aggressive driving;
• Helped to find found funding to form a Guns and Gangs Unit;
• Increased the number of uniformed police officers from 1,040 in 2001 to 1,251 today, with another 95 officers to be sworn in within a year;
• Committed an additional $1.5 million to strengthen the operations of the community police centers;
• Facilitated the future hiring 37 Special OC Transpo Constables to improve bus rider safety.

 

Archive

• Taxes
• Development of St. Joseph Blvd.
• Ten point East-End plan
• Rural bike paths
• Promoting soccer
• More police in schools
• Secured funding for School Breakfast programs
• Seven-steps to improve neighbourhood safety
• Creating a community green space

 

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