BACKGROUND

The Ottawa Police Service monitors and evaluates information on a variety of performance metrics. The Service also contributes data to a number of local and provincial initiatives, including the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI) and the Municipal Performance Measurement Project (MPMP). As part of a cooperative effort in sharing performance data, performance indicators are first presented to the Board then forwarded to the City of Ottawa for inclusion in its Quarterly Performance Reports.

DISCUSSION

As part of our commitment to measuring performance, the Ottawa Police continues to work with the City by providing selected metrics to be included in the quarterly performance reporting framework, including:

§ Total calls for police service;

§ Emergency response calls for service (Priority 1);

§ Response performance on Priority 1 calls (on-scene within 15 minutes, 90 percent of the time);

§ Service time (citizen-initiated, mobile response calls); and,

§ Number of Criminal Code Offences per sworn officer.

This information has been regularly provided to the City’s Performance Measurement Branch. The measures are also included in the annual OMBI report and as part of the Ottawa Police performance measurement framework launched in 2008. First quarter metrics are now presented to the Board prior to being compiled with other city data for Council.

Total Calls for Service – All Priorities

Over the past five years, the Ottawa Police received an average of 376,000 calls for service annually. Last year, the number of calls grew to over 390,000. The increase was driven by an 18 percent rise in the number of alternative response calls handled by the Ottawa Police.

In the first quarter of 2012, the Service received more than 91,000 calls, representing a two percent or 2,000 calls increase from the same time period last year. Of note is that total call volume in the first quarter has grown by nine percent since 2009.

Emergency Calls for Service (Priority 1)

Priority 1 calls - otherwise known as emergency response calls - are characterized as crimes in progress or life threatening situations. In the past five years, the number of emergency calls grew by four percent to over 76,000 calls in 2011.

In the first quarter, emergency response calls grew by nearly 250 calls to 16,632 compared to the same time period in 2011.

Priority 1 Response Performance

The Ottawa Police aims to respond to Priority 1 calls for service within 15 minutes 90 percent of the time. For the past five years response performance has fluctuated between 87 to 90 percent. Call volume, travel time, and available resources most influence police response.

In Q1, response performance declined by nearly a full percentage point compared to results achieved in the first quarter last year (87.8%). This will be monitored to understand if shifts in performance are taking place or if it is merely a variation.

Service Time (Citizen-Initiated, Mobile Response Calls for Service)

Service Time refers to the cumulative amount of time (hours) officers spend responding to and dealing with calls for service from the public. The service time metric is used for operational planning and deployment of personnel. Seasonally, reactive workload fluctuates throughout the year, with variations in climate influencing call volume and criminal behaviour.

Last year, service time rose one percent (3,000 hours) to 287,000 citywide. In the first quarter, service time rose by 1,200 hours (2%) to 69,000 hours compared to the previous year.

Number of Criminal Code Offences Handled per Police Officer

The number of reported Criminal Code of Canada incidents prorated over the number of sworn personnel is one indication of workload. This, of course, does not capture the entire scope of police operations, including proactive initiatives, assistance to victims of crime, traffic enforcement/Highway Traffic Act violations, street checks, and other community and public safety activities

The number of Criminal Code offences per officer rose by 11 percent to 5.9 offences per officer during the first quarter. The increase was driven by nearly 800 additional offences during this time period with the sworn complement remaining constant. This indicator is one monitored through the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI), so annual comparisons become available in the fall each year.

CONCLUSION

The Board will continue to receive quarterly performance updates as part of the performance measurement framework contained in the 2010-2012 Business Plan. The Planning, Performance & Analytics Section will begin incorporating elements of the Balanced Scorecard reporting tool deployed by the City over the coming year. As well, Ottawa Police representatives will continue to serve on the OMBI Police Expert Panel, the national Police Information and Statistics (POLIS) Committee, and other venues that contribute to the ongoing discussion, improvement, and transparency of police performance measures.

(original signed by)

Charles Bordeleau

Chief of Police

This document contains information that reports on activities related to the Ottawa Police Business Plan.