ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: September 11, 2000
Author/Local: Mario Lee /871-6034

Warren Lemcke /717-2687

RTS No. 1622
CC File No. 3703
Council: September 26, 2000

RECOMMENDATIONS

A. THAT Council continues its participation in the joint City of Vancouver and Ministry of Attorney General Community Safety Funding on an ongoing basis. The annual cost for the year 2001 is $150,000, subject to negotiating matching funding from the Provincial Government. The source of funding to be the Other Grants budget, to be approved in advance of approval of the 2001 Operating Budget.

B. THAT the Community Safety Fund continues to be available for crime prevention and neighbourhood safety program funding only.

C. THAT Council approves the criteria to establish and to evaluate Community Policing Centres (CPCs) as outlined in Appendix A and summarized in the body of this report.

CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS

The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of A to C.

COUNCIL POLICY

On October 25, 1996, Council approved the establishment of a joint City of Vancouver and Ministry of Attorney General Community Safety Funding Program. Council also approved a three year commitment (1997-1999) of an annual grant budget of $150,000, to be provided in its annual Operating Budget without offset.

On December 14, 1999, Council approved the continuation of its participation in the joint City of Vancouver and Ministry of Attorney General Community Safety Funding Program for the year 2000. Council also instructed the Chief Constable and the Director of Social Planning, to report back before July, 2000 with a comprehensive plan for Community Policing Centres and the Community Safety Funding Program in Vancouver, including future directions, sustainability and working relationships between the funding and operating partners and the community.

Approval of funding requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to provide City Council with a summary of the findings arising from the community policing program review, as well as to present some recommendations for future policy directions in relationship to this program. Both the Chief of Police and the Director of Social Planning, are pleased to have the opportunity to present a proposal for an enhanced community policing program.

The program review, conducted by staff from the Police and Social Planning Departments, focussed first, on the Community Safety Funding, which is used to provide grants in support of crime prevention initiatives, and second, in the development of Community Policing Centres.

This report recommends a continuation of the funding program as well as a rationale for the development and evaluation of Community Policing Centres.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Existing program

On October 25, 1996, Council approved the establishment of a joint Community Safety Funding Program with the Ministry of Attorney General. Each party agreed to contribute $150,000 annually to the program for a three year period (1997-1999). This funding commitment ended December 1999. On December 14, 1999, City Council approved the continuation of its participation in the Program for the year 2000.

The Community Safety Funding Program is a component of the community based policing approach. Community based policing is a priority of the Vancouver Police Department and is supported by the City.

Community based policing is an innovate approach to policing. Mr. Justice Wallace Oppal's Review of Policing in British Columbia (1994) states, in part:

"Community-based policing is fundamentally different from the incident-driven model of policing. It is proactive and problem-oriented, and emphasizes the role of police as partners with the community with regard to public safety and security".

One strategy facilitating the partnership between the community and the Police is the development of Community Policing Centres, which are viewed as places where the Police and the community can come together, and, with community volunteers engage in the delivery of crime prevention programs and activities. The number of Community Policing Centres has grown from four offices in 1995 to 21 offices in 2000, and most of the offices are recipients of the Community Safety grants. (For a complete list of all CPCs and allocated grants, please see Appendix B).

Currently, a Police Sergeant and a Police Constable are assigned full time to co-ordinate the program and to work with the community groups. Each of the 21 Community Policing Centres has one or two dedicated Neighbourhood Patrol Officers attached to it. Almost all centres have benefited from the community safety funding grants, by enabling residents to engage in activities such as Block Watch, citizens foot patrol, bicycle patrol, safety fairs, anti-graffiti programs and other preventive initiatives. The centres also provide both local neighbourhood access to the Police, and early intervention and conflict resolution at the local level. The functioning of these centres also provides support to the Police Department, particularly when volunteers deal with or defuse non-emergency situations.

The activities and programs that have been delivered from these CPCs have also allowed for an increased liaison between the Police and specific communities such as First Nations and the Chinese community.

The existing CPCs are sponsored by non-profit registered societies and rely on the active support of approximately 700 volunteers. Many CPCs fundraise beyond the program funding provided by the City and by the AG Ministry. Their funding needs are varied, and may include coordinators salary, rent, program costs, etc. The accumulated operating budget for all CPCs is over $600,000 (including the community safety funding program). These CPCs operate on average, a minimum of 30 hours a week each. For a detailed summary of the characteristics of each CPC, please see Appendix B.

The City of Vancouver indemnifies all volunteers and employees working at the CPCs acting in the course of their approved activities.

Some of the CPCs are located in Park Board facilities (West End, Dunbar, Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhoods) allowing for better public exposure and enhanced communications between volunteers, the Police and Park Board personnel.

A Community Policing Advisory Committee (CPAC), made up of board members from all CPCs, has been established and works with the Police Department, providing advice to the Chief of Police and promoting and supporting public safety and the continuance of high quality community policing programs.

Program Review

On December 14, 1999 City Council instructed the Chief of Police and the Director of Social Planning to conduct a review of the community policing program and report back before the end of July, 2000 with a comprehensive plan for Community Policing Centres in Vancouver and the Community Safety Funding Program, including future directions, sustainability and working relationships between the funding and operating partners and the community.

Some of the issues that were identified for review were:

… Funding criteria, including evaluation and outcome measures
… The roles and responsibilities of the funding and operating partners
… Operating relationships between the City of Vancouver and the Police Department
… Objectives of the Community Policing Centres
… Establishing clear criteria for future development and creation of CPCs

Staff from the Vancouver Police Department and from Social Planning conducted a thorough review during the months of May, June and July, 2000. The review included a revision of the literature and documentation associated with the development of this program, the design of a questionnaire circulated to all of the CPCs, as well as the following interviews:

… representatives from all of the 21 Community Policing Centres (CPCs) in the City of Vancouver
… Neighbourhood Patrol Officers (NPOs) assigned to the CPCs
… Deputy Chief of Police in charge of Operations and Inspectors in charge of each of the four Vancouver Police Districts
… representatives from the Ministry of the Attorney General
… representatives from the Vancouver Park Board
… representative from the Office of Risk Management

During the review process, it was clear that, aside from the issues already identified by Council on December, 1999, there were a number of other issues that needed clarification and should be incorporated in the ongoing review. These issues were:

… Core funding and Capital funding for CPCs
… Evaluation of existing CPCs beyond the funding criteria
… Strategic vision for Community Policing
… Role of CPAC
… Role to be played by other City Departments.

The review is now finished and staff have reached a number of conclusions which are the basis for the recommendations presented for Council's consideration.

Continuation of program funding

Every interviewee agreed that the community safety funding program should move from its pilot stage to become a permanent on-going program. The Ministry of the Attorney General has already agreed to continue funding this program at the same level as during the pilot phase, that is $150,000 a year for program funding only. It is recommended that the City contribute an equal amount and with the same objective.

Staff are recommending that the funding continue to be utilized only for program activities involving local residents, and not for core type of expenditures such as salaries and rent. This is suggested for two main reasons: first, the Ministry of the Attorney General is only prepared to fund program activities (our joint agreement is for matching funds), and second, the ability to fundraise for core activities should be a measure of each community supporting their CPC. Accessibility to program dollars should enhance the ability of CPCs to secure funding from other sources to enable them to cover other costs.

Criteria for creation and evaluation of CPCs

The growth of CPCs, from 4 in 1996 to 21 in 2000, happened in many cases without a set of requirements and guidelines, but rather a reaction to immediate identified needs in each of the areas where these CPCs were created. As a result of this reactive approach, we now have 6 CPCs in District One, 6 in District Two, 5 in District Three and 4 in District Four.

Community Policing Centres for the most part are focussed on the delivery of crime prevention and safety related programs and activities. They do play, however, other roles, mainly as information and referral conduits for a variety of other areas.

During the program review, it became clear that CPCs are unevenly successful. Some of the elements utilized to evaluate CPCs are:

… number of active volunteers
… ability to operate an accessible office and consistency in hours of operation
… positive and dynamic rapport between assigned NPO and volunteers
… ability to deliver consistent and effective crime prevention programs
… ability to positively engage diverse local community (residents and business)
… positive community feedback
… diverse funding sources

It is recommended that the City, the AG and the Police Department formalize and adopt an evaluation criteria utilizing the elements listed above. The utilization of the above described criteria may result in a reduced number of CPCs (the criteria will be used during the annual grants review process). For a more detailed analysis of the proposed evaluation criteria, please refer to Appendix A.

Community Policing Centres are encouraged to utilize the CPAC designed reporting forms, therefore providing for a common tool of analysis (copies of CPAC designed reporting forms are available in the Social Planning Department).

The reviewers also found that there is a relationship between the success of a CPC and the real and perceived need to establish one in the first place. In other words, if the resident community (with a broad base of support) doesn't feel there is a need for a Community Policing Centre in their neighbourhood, it is unlikely that such an enterprise will be successful.

It is therefore recommended that a strict assessment be in place before the development of a Community Policing Centre is initiated. Some of the elements to assess should include: crime statistics - particularly incidents of crime; core number of volunteers already organized; vicinity to an already existing CPC; partnerships with other neighbourhood agencies; and access to office space which the CPC can secure and maintain within their resources.

The existence of a CPC is not the only option for a particular neighbourhood to be part of the community based approach to policing. City residents interested in working with the Police could do so through a CPC in their own neighbourhood, or they could coordinate activities with an existing CPC in the vicinity by opening a satellite operation of an existing CPC, or they could simply coordinate activities with a Neighbourhood Patrol Officer.

The Vancouver Police Department is committed to work with any group of organized residents (or businesses) in the implementation of community safety and crime prevention activities. Neighbourhood Patrol Officers are, and will be, available to coordinate activities with any community group. Community based policing is the cornerstone philosophy on service delivery to our communities.

Capital funding

Most interviewees from the Community Policing Centres identified capital expenditures as and important issue. Capital expenditures are understood as relating to the acquisition of a facility or renovations and improvements to a facility, as well as purchasing furniture andequipment.

The City of Vancouver has a capital grants program, administered through the Social Planning Department. These grants are only available to childcare, cultural and community services types of organizations. These grants are only available for major capital expenditures involving facility purchase, construction, renovation, or expansion, where the City's contribution can not exceed one-third of the total cost. Demand for these grants already exceeds the availability of funds.

Staff are not recommending making these capital grants available to Community Policing Centres. However, some CPCs have benefited from office space secured through rezoning and development opportunities. The City will continue to seek opportunities within the context of the full range of civic public amenity objectives. The City will only consider any future CPCs as such an amenity where the proposed facility is finished and fit up to the satisfaction of the City's Director of Facilities Development, has been secured through long-term agreements at a nominal rent, and is affordable within the capital and operating resources of the CPC.
Clarification of roles and responsibilities (AG, City, VPD, CPCs, CPAC)

It is recommended that:

1. The City and the Ministry of the Attorney General continue its partnership to fund the Community Safety Funding program, and in coordination with the Vancouver Police Department, continue to participate in the joint review committee that evaluates grant applications from the CPCs, and recommends grant allocations.

2. The Social Planning Department continues to administer the Community Safety Funding program. Social Planning staff would also continue its supportive role with CPAC .

3. The Office of Risk & Emergency Management continues to arrange indemnification for volunteers and employees of the CPCs and execution of the Operating Agreements with the CPCs on behalf of the City of Vancouver.

4. The role of the CPCs and CPAC, continue to be as outlined in the Operating Agreement, namely, that CPC activities must be sanctioned by the local Neighbourhood Patrol Officer (NPO) and CPAC continues its role as advisor to the Police Chief and promotes and supports public safety initiatives. (For a more detailed analysis of the Operating Agreements, contact the Vancouver Police Department, Community Services Unit).

From an operational perspective, however, it is recommended that better coordination amongdifferent CPCs, and the addressing of their concerns, could happen at the District level. It is at the District level that the Police Department makes most of their operational decisions. Responses to community issues could also benefit from this approach. Regular meetings should be held with the CPCs at the District level. The city-wide CPAC meetings involving representatives from all of the CPCs could still happen four times a year (which is the minimum required in the Operating Agreement), and their ability to focus on city-wide issues will be enhanced.

5. The Vancouver Police Department continue its commitment towards community based policing, assigning up to two NPOs to each of the CPCs that have signed the Operating Agreement with the City, and continue to work in a supportive manner with any group of residents that wishes to engage in crime prevention activities, independently of whether they conform a sanctioned CPC or not.

6. While acknowledging that some CPCs fulfill a role that sometimes goes beyond the exclusive crime prevention arena (ie. information and referral activities), the City and the VPD continue to focus on the crime prevention activities of these centres.

Vancouver City Council will have the opportunity to receive annual updates on this program, as Community Safety Funding grants will have to be approved by Council on a yearly basis.

CONCLUSION

The Community Policing program review requested by City Council, was conducted by staff from the Police and Social Planning Departments. The focus of the review was the Community Safety Funding, which is presently used to provide 20 different grants, as well as in the development of criteria for the formation and evaluation of Community Policing Centres. Also provided in this report, is a summary of the role and responsibilities of each of the organizations involved in the community policing program.

This report recommends a continuation of the funding program as well as a rationale for the development and evaluation of Community Policing Centres.

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EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRES

Evaluating the performance of Community Policing Centres is a complex but necessary task. The evaluation of CPCs may help with future funding requests as well as with the assignment of resources. The evaluation will involve the following criteria:

Number of active volunteers

An appropriately functioning CPC should have a good number of volunteers (hopefully from the immediate neighbourhood) active in the sponsoring Society as well as in the delivery of crime prevention programs. It is difficult to establish an ideal fixed number of required volunteers, since each neighbourhood has different profiles and needs. It seems, however, that successful CPCs usually have over 50 volunteers and some have as many as 120 volunteers.

Ability to operate an accessible affordable office and consistency in hours of operation

A Community Policing Centre should be accessible to the surrounding community, and the Centre should include a physical space that ideally has a reception area, meeting space and office(s). The location of a CPC in a high traffic area seems to enhance not only its visibility and its capacity to implement crime prevention programs, but also its ability to attract volunteers as well. Consistent hours of operation throughout the week should facilitate interaction with the community.

Any new CPC must be secured within the community's resources without reliance on any City capital or additional operating funding.

Positive and dynamic rapport between assigned NPO and volunteers

A dynamic interaction between the Neighbourhood Patrol Officer assigned to a CPC and the volunteers is a key element of success. Neither the Police Department, nor the volunteers, acting on their own, could make neighbourhood safety programs work. Existing CPCs that have managed to develop positive interactive relationships are usually successful.

Ability to deliver consistent and effective crime prevention programs

This is the "raison d'Νtre" of a CPC. An evaluation process would have to look not only at whether a CPC is operating crime prevention programs or activities, but also at how consistent and effective these programs are. The consistency refers to the permanency of those programs over time, and effectiveness has to be measured both in terms of actualreduction of crime or a positive impact on the public's perception or fear of crime.

Ability to positively engage diverse local community (residents and business)

Neighbourhoods in Vancouver are very diverse. It is assumed that the success of a CPC will have to be measured, among other criteria, by its ability to engage members of these diverse communities, whether that diversity relates to ethnic background, language, age group, geography, activities or other parameters. A CPC can not appear to represent the interests of just one particular group in the neighbourhood.

Engaging the local community could take the form of volunteers joining the sponsoring society, volunteers participating in crime prevention programs or donation of free space or resources to the CPC.

Positive community feedback

The best measure of the success of a CPC has to be the feedback provided by the very same community that it is supposed to serve. This feedback could be provided to the Police Officers working in the area, to CPC volunteers, or directly to funding agencies providing support to the CPC.

Diverse funding sources

The grants provided by the City of Vancouver and the Ministry of the Attorney General, through the community safety fund is targeted for program funding only. Funding needs may go beyond the program funding, and CPCs quite often require operational and capital dollars as well. Meeting these diverse funding demands requires access to other funding sources beyond what the community safety fund has to offer. Access to these other funding sources can be a measure of success.

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