The Ontario government has announced more than $6 million in funding for several new community safety programs over the next three years, the Solicitor General's office revealed this week.
The announcement was part of a $267-million pledge to nearly 100 police services boards across the province with most of the money — $225 million — being assigned to a local priorities stream to help police services address issues such as enhanced police intelligence sharing, expanding mental health supports, preventing crime in schools, combatting bullying, sexual violence, human trafficking, cyber-crime, enhancing road safety and acquiring new technology.
Other funds, $43 million, will be provided to address priorities such as additional training for police officers so they are better equipped to handle sexual violence and harassment investigations, identify signs of human trafficking and interact with victims of human trafficking, also crime prevention initiatives for at-risk youth and other vulnerable groups, and equipment purchases that support policing operations and activities such as enhanced software/technology.
For the Greater Sudbury Police Service, Monday's announcement includes funding for the following initiatives:
Police Community Response Centre, $1,403,952
This was created to reprioritize calls for service and provide alternative forms of police response. The Greater Sudbury Police Service will use funding to improve CopLogic – an online reporting system that is part of the Police Community Response Centre, said the Ontario release. Expanding the types of incidents that can be reported to include hate/bias crime and human trafficking will help reduce call volume at the patrol operations level, enhance overall service delivery and provide additional opportunities and avenues for victims and survivors to report crimes of a sensitive nature that are severely underreported.
Sexual Violence Response & Reduction Team, $811,324
The Sexual Violence Response & Reduction Team will build on work completed and efforts underway to reduce sexual victimization in the community and support survivors of sexual violence in both physical and cyberspace, said the release. Two positions with Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) will evolve to improve case management, and GSPS will continue to ensure survivors of various forms of sexual violence have a safe space to report their experience and are met with compassion and understanding.
Community Engagement and Response Team, $1,881,886
The Community Engagement and Response Team (CERT) will increase staffing to improve coordination among partners for Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team calls for service. CERT will also be enhanced to include proactive initiatives for vulnerable persons experiencing economic insecurity (i.e., homelessness) such as additional patrols in populated encampment areas to offer appropriate resources, said the release.
Project Empower, $295,334
Project Empower is a multi-agency collaborative approach to helping survivors and potential victims of sexual violence and human trafficking by providing them with the knowledge, tools and supports they need to avoid being abused or to seek help when they need it. The ministry said this money will help enhance frontline officers’ training to ensure they are able to use victim-centered techniques when dealing with human trafficking victims and conducting investigations.
Project Champion, $284,189
Project champion will help expand the role of the project’s co-ordinator in an effort to address remaining gaps in sexual assaults investigations and victim support. Tangible outcomes include the provision of enhanced training to frontline officers and the creation of community outreach campaigns and educational videos intended to the public.
Crisis Call Diversion Program, $1,185,566
This funding will support Sudbury's Crisis Call Diversion Program (CCDP), a collaborative effort of the current Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team, mental health/crisis professionals in the form of a call diversion crisis worker, the Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) personnel, and frontline police officers. CCDP will have four qualified crisis workers within the ECC who can offer an additional layer of support for callers in crisis, said the release.
Project TIIPS (Trauma-Informed Indigenous Prevention & Support), $199,999
Project TIIPS will ensure GSPS delivers trauma-informed supports and services to survivors and victims of human trafficking and intimate partner violence. GSPS will work with Indigenous service providers to ensure supports and services are culturally appropriate, said the ministry. One of the goals of the project is to ensure equitable justice by reducing systemic barriers to accessing services by victims and survivors. The project will also provide Indigenous-centered trauma-informed training for police officers.
Altogether the various programs announced Monday come to $6,062,250 for a three-year period for the budget years 2022-2023, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. Police services will be required to report twice a year on the financial activities and outcomes of their initiatives, said the release.
