In a report to the Board of Police Commissioners, Chief Troy Cooper says the needs of the downtown and Riversdale communities create unique public safety challenges. He outlines an explanation of the plan to meet those safety needs. The strategy is a multi-year endeavour that is not reliant on any new funding. The report says, while enforcement is an important part of the plan, it is just one strand of the community safety web.
The plan includes the use of Alternative Response Officers, dedicated Bike Patrols, as well as dedicated Beat Patrols. It also involves community partnerships.
Minimum staffing during the week will never fall below eight with the minimum on the weekends being maintained at four.
During larger-than-usual crowds and special events, additional officers will be called in.
A particular focus of the plan is to re-engage with youth. The report says marginalization and exclusion were not being addressed through past safety programming.
The lighthouse has also been singled out, with the report saying the organization will be encouraged to, at a minimum: Maintain the building inside and out; promote orderly conduct and discourage social disorder; collaborate and maintain effective communication with police and other stakeholders as issues arise; and implement a 24 hour number for concerned parties to call.
The community mobilization unit will embed itself in the Pleasant Hill and Riversdale areas and will conduct foot patrols in the vicinity of the Supervised Consumption Site.
The report also notes that crime and perceptions of crime are often out of sync and perceptual inaccuracies must be dealt with.
The plan is to kick off July 1.


















