ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

 

Date:

June 18, 2003

 

Author:

Mario Lee /
Bill Goddard

 

Phone No.:

604-871-6034 /
604-717-2687

 

RTS No.:

3466

 

CC File No.:

3703

 

Meeting Date:

June 26, 2003

TO:

Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets

FROM:

Chief Constable and Director of Social Planning

SUBJECT:

New Community Policing Centres Model

· 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.

· On September 28, 2000, Council approved the continuation of its participation in the joint City of Vancouver and Ministry of Attorney General (later through the Ministry of the Solicitor General) Community Safety Funding on an ongoing basis.

· On January 16, 2003, Council approved 18 transition/terminating grants for the implementation of crime prevention and community safety activities carried out by non profit organizations. Council also instructed the Chief Constable to report back to Council with a proposal for a new community policing model.


Approval of grants requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE AND

This report recommends that City Council approve a more effective and sustainable model of community policing centres. The need for a new model arises from three developments: first, the withdrawal of funding support by the provincial government; second, limitations posed by the structure of the existing program; and third, a reduction of available Police resources.

The proposed model for community policing centres will be made up of crime prevention programs and community safety activities delivered out of seven neighbourhood-based Community Policing Centres (CPCs), plus two CPCs designated for Chinese and Native populations. The proposed model contains clearly defined roles for the community, Police, and the City, as well as an identified source of funding for the future continuation of the program.

AND DISCUSSION

On January 16, 2003, City Council approved 18 transition/terminating grants for existing non-profit societies engaged in the delivery of crime prevention programs in partnership with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and the City of Vancouver. These grants were to fund crime prevention and community safety activities for a six month period ending June 30, 2003. At the time, the community policing centres program was in crisis due, at least in part, to the withdrawal of the provincial government from the joint Community Safety Funding Program. In addition, the Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department noted inconsistencies in the level of service and performance between the CPCs.

As a result, Council instructed the Chief Constable to report back with a proposal for a new community policing model with clearly identified roles for the City, Police, and the community. The new model was to consider some important basic principles, including:

· Clearly defined roles and responsibilities for volunteers, Police, and City;
· Optimization of limited financial resources available;
· Rationalization of Police resources;
· Avoidance of redundancy and overlap of CPCs;
· Maximization of partnerships with local business and resident groups;
· Continuation of successful crime prevention programs.

February 15th Workshop

Subsequent to the Council meeting of January 16th, 2003, the Police organized a workshop with representatives from all of the Community Policing Centres in attendance. The workshop took place on February 15th, 2003, and was attended by 47 individuals, mostly volunteers. The Chief Constable and members of the Police Executive were also in attendance. With the help of a facilitator, a thorough discussion took place. The workshop discussion was broken into three distinct topics: (1) Past experiences, (2) Present experiences, and (3) The future of community policing centres in Vancouver. Some of the highlights of the meeting are as follows:

1. Learning from the past

Workshop participants identified a number of successful elements of the existing CPC model, including:

· Crime prevention programs;
· Neighbourhood Police Officers (NPOs) who are knowledgeable about the community;
· Improved VPD/community relations;
· Accessibility to community members;
· Use of logbooks as a point of communication between the NPOs and volunteers.

Participants also identified elements of the existing CPC model that were perceived to need improvement:

· Inconsistency in customer service between the different offices;
· Excessive time and energy spent on fundraising by community members;
· Deficiencies in training;
· Inconsistency of hours of operations;
· In some CPCs, the relationship between the NPO, Board and CPC coordinator was problematic due to different understandings of roles and responsibilities.

2. The Present

The workshop discussion then focused on assessing issues that could potentially influence - positively or negatively - the improved CPC model. These included community/societal factors as well as VPD factors. Some of the community/societal factors which were identified as potentially having a detrimental effect on the new model were:

· The introduction of the new Young Offender Act;
· Provincial funding cuts to health, social service and youth programs;
· Reallocation of Police resources and potential dispersal of addicts as a result of new City strategies dealing with the drug problem.

Conversely, the VPD was seen as having the power to positively influence the development and success of the CPCs through the implementation of the following strategies:

· A Police structure and culture which views the NPO position as a positive and developmental career move;
· A committed and consistent level of support from management and supervisors;
· Systematic and thorough training of volunteers;
· Integration of the community policing centres model into VPD operational and strategic planning.

3. The Future

The workshop discussion then addressed questions of structure for the improved CPC model, roles and responsibilities of staff, programs to be offered, and the number of CPCs, as well as criteria for determining their location. A number of potential models were identified ranging from a scaled-down version of the existing CPC model, a Police-driven model, to a model not dissimilar from the way the Park Board administers community centres in partnership with community associations. The consensus was that whatever the model, it would be necessary to maintain information flow among the different and diverse communities in Vancouver.

In recognition of the provincial withdrawal of funding from community policing in Vancouver, workshop participants acknowledged that it was not financially feasible to maintain all CPCs, and offered some criteria to help determine which CPCs should be maintained, including:

· The feasibility of amalgamating smaller offices with neighbouring larger ones;
· Crime statistics for area;
· Neighbourhood density;
· Number of CPCs within Police District;
· Visibility;
· Community support;
· Sufficient funding for office.

Report to Police Board on April 23, 2003, and Public Meetings

Following the deliberations of the February 15th workshop, the Chief Constable presented a report entitled "Revised Community Policing Centre Model" to the Vancouver Police Board on April 23, 2003. The report outlined a proposal for a new model which differed significantly from the existing model. First, the proposed model would be made up of crime prevention programs and community safety activities delivered out of seven neighbourhood-based CPCs, plus two CPCs for designated-communities (Chinese and Native); second, each neighbourhood-based CPC would have two NPOs assigned to each centre; and third, the new model would be staffed by paid civilian coordinators employed by the VPD, with a total operating annual budget of $389,683.

Two important developments prevented the approval of the revised model. First, the VPD has been experiencing heightened personnel demands due to a number of factors, including the assignment of Police officers to major projects (e.g. Missing Women Task Force, Downtown Eastside), the upcoming early retirement of more Police officers than anticipated, and challenges in recruiting qualified new officers. These pressures make the prospect of committing a significant number of NPOs to community policing a challenge.

Second, the community feedback received at two public meetings organized by the Police Board (April 28th and May 7th), clearly indicated community concerns with the revised proposal. The community concerns, while varied, dealt for the most part with the need to clearly recognize a community role in any new model. In addition, there was a general feeling that the proposed model was too expensive, particularly in comparison with the cost of the existing model.

The many speakers who presented their views to the Police Board were sympathetic to the need to develop a new model for community policing centres in Vancouver. Their desire, however, was that it be consultative and participatory. As one presenter indicated in her written submission: "we must not lose sight of the outcome, which is all of us serving the people of Vancouver in the best way possible. That is our common goal. Not who has the power, who is paying the bills, who is running which programs."

In response to the above concerns, the April, 2003, proposal for a revised community policing centre model was further refined. Many of the core elements found in the April, 2003, proposal have been incorporated into the revised community policing centres model being advocated in this report. Other elements have been eliminated or changed. The revised proposal is described in the next section of this report.

New Community Policing Centres Model - June, 2003.

The community policing centre model proposed in June, 2003, retains some of the positive features of the April, 2003, proposal, considers the human resource demands within the Vancouver Police Department, and is responsive to the community concerns expressed during the consultation workshop of February 15th and the public meetings of April 28th and May 7th, 2003. The new proposed model is also consistent with the basic principles outlined in the January 16th report endorsed by City Council.

Like the April, 2003, proposal, the June, 2003, model for community policing recommends that crime prevention programs and community safety activities be delivered out of seven neighbourhood-based Community Policing Centres (CPCs), plus two CPCs designated for Chinese and Native populations respectively. The neighbourhood based CPCs will be:

District 1:
Davie Street CPC - 1135 Davie Street
Granville Downtown South CPC- 916 Granville Street

District 2:
Hastings North CPC- 2001 Wall Street
Grandview Woodland CPC- 1657 Charles Street

District 3:
Collingwood CPC- 5160 Joyce Street
South Vancouver CPC- 5657 Victoria Drive

District 4:
Kerrisdale CPC- 295 - 5655 Cambie Street

The above listing of CPCs will provide for two CPCs in Districts 1, 2 and 3, while District 4 will have one CPC. As the VPD moves towards incorporating the CPC activities into the District-driven model for patrol activities, the proposed CPCs in each of the Districts with more than one office will coordinate activities among themselves, but will also attempt to provide coverage for the geographic areas that no longer have a CPC in their immediate vicinity (e.g. West End, Waterfront, Yaletown, Gastown, Strathcona, Cedar Cottage, Granville Island, Kitsilano, and Little Mountain). In order to provide coverage for areas that are having their CPCs discontinued, the VPD is also prepared to work with community groups or resident and business associations who wish to engage in crime prevention or public safety related activities.

The two designated-communities Community Policing Centres will be:

Chinese CPC - 18 East Pender
Native Liaison - 324 Main Street

The rationale for the two designated-communities CPCs is that they provide services that are city-wide in their approach, and in a good measure they are victim services types of organizations. The Chinese CPC, however, is also involved in the implementation of crime prevention programs not dissimilar to the programs offered by the other neighbourhood-based CPCs. Both the Chinese CPC and the Native Liaison can access funding not available to other CPCs. The VPD is committed to maintaining a presence with these CPCs, and will provide officers to maintain the existing links.

The nine CPCs will continue to be operated by the existing nine Societies, in conjunction with the VPD. Instead of the two NPOs per CPC, recommended in the April, 2003, proposal, the revised model recommends that each CPC will have one assigned NPO who will be the main individual responsible for the implementation and coordination of crime prevention activities in each office. The role of the NPO is also to liaise with the NIST team in each of the areas where CPCs are located. The VPD as a whole is striving to immerse the entire Police force into the philosophy of community-based policing. Training of police officers to this effect continues to be a priority for the Department. Particular attention will be paid to training NPOs to become more knowledgeable in best practices for working with communities. Appropriate training for CPC coordinators will also be required.

In response to concerns that the April, 2003, proposal diminished community involvement, the new proposed model will have a clearly defined role for the community organizations sponsoring the Community Policing Centres. This proposed role is to be enhanced by continued and ongoing consultation with these groups. The role for community groups is defined at this time in the following six areas:

a) Crime prevention activities

The implementation of crime prevention activities and programs is to be carried out by volunteers associated with each of the CPCs. Some of the crime prevention activities that have been successful so far include: block watch, bike and foot patrol, lock out auto crime, bike registration, pooch patrol, newsletters, and business watch.

b) Advisory role

The volunteers associated with each CPC are the eyes and ears of the community. They are well suited to provide advice to the Police on existing and emerging issues in the community that may need some attention on the part of the Police. Volunteers could also provide advice on which strategies or responses are better suited for the specificities of each neighbourhood. The mechanics of this advisory role, in terms of structure and regularity, will have to be determined at the District level.

The new operating agreements will not contemplate a structure like the Community Policing Advisory Committee (CPAC), which has been part of the existing model; however, representatives from all of the CPCs, plus members of the VPD executive, will have the opportunity to meet twice a year in city-wide types of workshops to exchange ideas about best practices, network, and identify issues of common interest.

c) Governance participation

The new model will maintain a participatory role for volunteers organized in a sponsoring society. They will work together with each NPO to define which crime prevention activities are implemented in each area, even though the ultimate legal responsibility to sanction a crime prevention program is vested in the NPO. The sponsoring society will have the ability to hire volunteer and office coordinators if their resources allow them to do so. Once the new operating agreements are in place and the funding mechanism is implemented via separate contractual agreements between the societies and the VPD, the sponsoring societies will be responsible for the implementation of their contractual responsibilities.

d) Funding responsibilities

Members of the community associated with each CPC will continue to play a role in fundraising activities. This has been noted as a time consuming problem in the past, particularly in regards to securing funding for core needs. In the future, some of the funds contracted with the Police could be used for core expenses thus diminishing the pressure on volunteers to fundraise.

At a city-wide level, volunteers will also have the ability and the option of organizing fundraising events or securing corporate donations to help with the implementation of crime prevention activities. At a local level, the Business Improvement Associations (BIA) and/or independent local business can play a role in supporting their local CPC.

e) Training

It is envisioned that the members of the community associated with CPCs, will not only receive training on a variety of public safety and crime prevention activities, but they will also play a role in helping with the training of Police officers to help them better understand and assimilate community issues and concerns.

f) Celebrations and recognition

Members of the community associated with the community policing program can also be instrumental in the celebration of successes and in the promotion of public safety issues in coordination with other community-based organizations and agencies. The recognition of volunteers can be an integral part of this task.

The role of the City, in addition to providing funding for the Police budget, is multi-departmental and supportive of the VPD efforts, which will be the primary organization responsible for this program. Social Planning will continue to provide overall linkages to the City system and, as explained below, with the City providing indemnification for volunteers participating in approved programs and activities.

Starting in 2004, the new model will have funding for this program as a line item in the annual operating budget of the VPD. The anticipated annual contribution to this program is $150,000, with funds being available for crime prevention activities as well as helping to provide support for core funding needs of the CPCs. The VPD will enter into a contract with the society involved in the operation of each individual CPC to specify the nature and type of services that will be required and supported. In addition, the VPD will be supportive of fundraising efforts conducted by volunteers at the city-wide level as well as at the local neighbourhood level.

In order to be able to implement the transition to this new model and to continue implementing the crime prevention activities that are key to the success of each remaining office, Council is being asked to provide $76,000 in funding for the remaining of 2003. The bulk of these funds ($70,000) will be distributed equally among the seven neighbourhood-based CPCs. The rationale behind this proposed distribution of funds is that each neighbourhood-based CPC will now start to have a greater level of responsibility in providing coverage at the District level.

The source of funds for the recommended $76,000 in transition grants is the 2003 Contingency Reserve. The transfer of $150,000 from the "Other Grants" line item in the City Budget to the Police Operational Budget to fund community policing centres will take effect in 2004.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW MODEL

Under the old community policing model, the City and the VPD entered into operating agreements with the various societies involved in the operation of the old CPCs. Each of these agreements has an indemnification provision and a termination clause which allows any party to the agreement to terminate it by giving 30 days' notice. To implement the new community policing model, all of the existing agreements will be terminated and the City and the VPD will enter into new agreements with the societies involved in the operation of the nine CPCs referred to in Appendix B. As part of these operating agreements, the City will agree to indemnify the operating societies' employees and volunteers who participate in the delivery of approved safety and crime prevention programs and activities from third party claims arising out of that participation.

It may take some time for the parties to agree upon all of the terms to be included in the new operating agreements. In order to avoid any interruption to the existing programs and activities of the nine CPCs, if it is necessary, the City will enter into short-term "interim" agreements with the societies involved to provide this indemnification while the new operating agreements are being negotiated.

This report was initiated at a Council meeting on January 16, 2003, at which time it approved 18 transition/terminating grants for the implementation of crime prevention and community safety activities carried out by non-profit organizations. Included in the Council approval was a request for the Chief Constable to report back to Council with a proposal for a new community policing model.

The new model was to consider basic principles, including clearly defined roles and responsibilities for volunteers, Police, and City; Optimization of limited financial resources available; rationalization of police resources; avoidance of redundancy and overlap of CPCs; maximization of partnerships with local business and resident groups; and continuation of successful crime prevention programs. In order to accomplish this task, a review of the February 15th workshop notes was conducted, along with the report entitled "Revised Community Policing Centre Model" that was presented to the Vancouver Police Board on April 23rd. Finally the minutes of the public hearings to the Police Board on April 28, and May 7, 2003, were considered.

This community policing centre model proposal has considered and retained some of the positive features contained in the April 23rd report, however, it also considers the human resource demands within the VPD. It is also responsive to the community concerns expressed at the February 15th workshop and April 28, and May 7, 2003, public meetings.

After considering all of the available information this proposal recommends the retention of seven CPCs, plus two designated communities Community Policing Centres. The governance of the CPCs will be similar to the current model; however, new operating agreements or contracts will be developed and implemented. The proposed model for community policing centres will be made up of crime prevention programs and community safety activities out of the seven neigbourhood-based Community Policing Centres (CPCs), plus two CPCs designated for Chinese and Native populations, respectively. The proposed model contains defined roles for the community, Police and the City, as well as an identified source of funding for the future continuation of the program.

Interim funding of $76,000 is being requested to transition the seven CPCs for the remainder of 2003. Starting in 2004, $150,000 will be transferred from the "Other Grants" line item in the City to the Police operating budget for funding of the seven Community Policing Centres.

* * * * *

cs20030626.htm

APPENDIX A
PAGE OF 1

Grants Recommended

Sponsoring Society &
Community Policing Centre

Activities

Grant recommended

DAVIE STREET COMMUNITY POLICE CENTRE SOCIETY for Davie Street Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol), Meal Ticket Program, Volunteer Recognition, Outreach, Community Awareness

$10,000

FRASER STREET COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION SOCIETY for South Vancouver Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol),Outreach, Volunteer
Recognition, Block Watch

$10,000

GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND COMMUNITY POLICE OFFICE SOCIETY for Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol),Outreach, Volunteer
Recognition, Block Watch, Park Watch

$10,000

GRANVILLE DOWNTOWN SOUTH CRIME PREVENTION SOCIETY for Granville Downtown South Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol),Outreach, Volunteer
Recognition, Block Watch, Foreign Students Safety Project

$10,000

HASTINGS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION for Hastings North Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol), Outreach, Volunteer Recognition, Block Watch

$10,000

JOYCE STATION AREA PLANNING ASSOCIATION for Collingwood Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol),Outreach, Volunteer
Recognition, Block Watch, Bike Rodeos

$10,000

KERRISDALE OAKRIDGE MARPOLE CRIME PREVENTION SOCIETY for Kerrisdale/Oakridge/Marpole Community Policing Centre

Volunteer Patrols (Foot Patrol, Bike Patrol, Pooch Patrol),Outreach, Volunteer
Recognition, Block Watch, Seniors' Safety

$10,000

CHINESE COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRE for Chinese Community Policing Centre

Crime Prevention and Educational Outreach

$3,000

VANCOUVER POLICE AND NATIVE LIAISON SOCIETY for Vancouver Police & Native Liaison Society Community Policing Centre

Youth Programs

$3,000

APPENDIX B
PAGE OF 2

VANCOUVER POLICE DEPARTMENT

COMMUNITY POLICING CENTRES

COMMUNITY POLICING COORDINATOR
Sgt. Bill Goddard
PHONE: 604.717.2687 FAX: 604.665.3952

DISTRICT ONE

DAVIE STREET Community Policing Centre
1135 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 1N2
604.717-2924/2925 FAX: 604.717-2926

GRANVILLE DOWNTOWN SOUTH Community Policing Centre
916 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1L2
604.717-2920/2921 FAX: 604.717-2922

DISTRICT TWO

CHINESE Community Policing Centre
18 East Pender Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 3V6
604.688-5030 FAX: 604.688-5070

GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND Community Policing Centre
1657 Charles Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 2T4
604.717-2932 FAX: 604.717-2923

HASTINGS NORTH Community Policing Centre
2001 Wall Street
Vancouver, BC V5L 5E4
604.717-2933 FAX: 604.717-2979

VANCOUVER POLICE & NATIVE LIAISON SOCIETY Community Policing Centre
324 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 2T2
604.687-8411 FAX: 604.682-2967

DISTRICT THREE

COLLINGWOOD Community Policing Centre
5160 Joyce Street
Vancouver, BC V5R 5T8
604.717-2935 FAX: 604.430-4955

SOUTH VANCOUVER Community Policing Centre
5657 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC V5P 3W7
604.717-2940 FAX: 604.717-2941

DISTRICT FOUR

KERRISDALE OAKRIDGE MARPOLE Community Policing Centre
295-5655 Cambie Street
Vancouver, BC V5Z 3A4
604.717-3434 FAX: 604.717-3432

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