Ottawa police are reporting a significant drop in calls for service in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street area over the past year, attributing the decline to an increased police presence and targeted enforcement in known hotspots. Chief Eric Stubbs credited the downtown CORE (Community Outreach, Response and Engagement) team for a 25 per cent reduction in calls for service across the downtown core during the past year.
Phase 2 of downtown safety strategy launching May 1
The Ottawa Police Service is set to roll out the second phase of its downtown safety strategy on Friday, May 1, aimed at reducing low-level crime and social disorder in the ByWard Market and Centretown. Chief Stubbs noted that similar drops are being observed in targeted hotspot locations, with the biggest decreases in substance abuse-related and property-related incidents.
“The biggest drops are in substance abuse-related and property-related incidents,” Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Service Board on April 27. “It’s still early, but a positive indicator,” he added, with more positive results expected following the May 1 rollout.
CORE strategy launched in June 2024
The CORE strategy was launched in June 2024 as a proactive, evidence-based and harm-focused community policing strategy to address unique challenges in the ByWard Market, Lowertown, Sandy Hill and the Rideau Street corridor. The strategy integrates city services with support from bylaw officers, housing, public health, transit and public works staff, as well as outreach partners, shelters and addiction treatment services.
“Not every call needs enforcement, but every call needs a response,” said Central District Insp. Cory Robertson. “CORE ensures the right resources go to the right incidents, whether it’s the police and outreach team, our mental health teams or other city services.” Robertson emphasized that mental health emergencies and drug-related calls require coordination, not just enforcement.
Phase 2 expands to additional hotspots
The second phase of the strategy will expand from the ByWard Market area to targeted hotspot areas of Centretown, Chinatown and the Golden Triangle. “What we’re seeing is not random crime, it’s repeat behaviour in repeat locations,” Robertson said. “A small number of locations and individuals account for a disproportionate amount of the calls for service.”
The next phase will bring staffing stabilization, facilitating a shift from reactive policing to planned and targeted deployments. The initial phase involved the CORE team gathering intelligence, analyzing data and taking input from officers, community partners, businesses, residents and councillors in the target areas.
Starting Friday, the second phase will see targeted enforcement and police presence that is deployed surgically, not broadly. The deployment will be tracked and coordinated by the CORE team, which will decide where, when and with what mix of resources to deploy. Patrol officers will be aligned with specialty units and services. “This plan ensures our presence is purposeful and not just visible,” Robertson said.
