Investing in Community Safety Across the Province
The Voice of Canada News:
The Ontario government is providing police services across the province with the resources they need to combat crime and keep communities safe by investing $195 million through the province’s new Community Safety and Policing (CSP) Grant program over the next three years.
Through the local priorities funding stream, 89 police services boards will be allocated a total of $181 million to address issues that were identified by their communities as local areas of focus. These include collaboration between the police and community organizations to help individuals suffering from mental health issues and addictions (e.g., mobile crisis response teams), as well as programs to combat impaired driving, property crime and other public safety concerns. In addition, approximately $14 million will be allocated to 18 police services boards under the provincial priorities funding stream to address gun and gang violence, sexual violence and harassment, and human trafficking.
“Our police services and their partners know best what they need to combat crime in their communities,” said Sylvia Jones, Solicitor General. “The investment we are making today will help deploy additional frontline officers and take action where and when it is needed most.”
Of the $195 million investment, approximately $8.5 million will help Waterloo Regional Police Service expand its Community Oriented Response and Enforcement Teams and set up a new team under its Gang Intelligence and Enforcement Initiative. These teams will play a crucial role in strengthening community safety in the Waterloo Region and in ramping up the fight against gun and gang violence.
“We are grateful that the Ontario government recognizes the need to fund and support public safety here in Waterloo Region,” said Bryan Larkin, Chief of Police for the Waterloo Regional Police Service. “This funding will allow us to continue combating violent crime in our community and allow us to ensure the individuals responsible are brought to justice.”
“Crime, and especially gun and gang violence, knows no geographical boundaries,” said Jones. “That’s why it is so important that we continue putting resources directly into the hands of police services across the province. They are the experts in maintaining public safety and our primary partners in keeping Ontario communities safe.”
This investment builds on the $105.4 million both the provincial and federal governments have invested to date to combat gun and gang violence across the province through the Ontario Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy.
QUICK FACTS
Police services will be required to report annually on the outcomes of their initiatives, such as an increase in support for front-line officers and/or an increase in community safety and well-being, for both the local and provincial priorities funding streams of the CSP grant program.
The grant funding will help police services pay for personnel, training, equipment, engagement and education as well as research and analysis.
