The Windsor Police Service is receiving $2,275,770 in funding to support three programs focused on crime prevention and community health and safety strategies including the Problem-Oriented Policing Unit.
The funding from the Ontario Government's Community Safety and Policing Grant program will see $1,142,800 provided to support the POP Unit.
Windsor Police Chief Jason Bellaire says the goal of the POP Unit is to work with community stakeholders to reduce crime and make neighbourhoods safer, providing modern solutions to meet the modern needs of a modern community.
Bellaire says the POP Unit is one of the busiest teams within the service.
"The problem may be going somewhere and making a lot of arrests. The problem may be going somewhere and just creating a safe space for everybody. The problem can be something as simple as going into a neighbourhood and having some communication with some people to resolve something, using words instead of handcuffs," he says.
The work of the unit to address the key drivers of crime and disorder ranges from supporting operations to reduce retail theft and shoplifting to focused initiatives in the Glengarry neighbourhood, at one point, one of the places with the most calls for violent crime in the city.
Bellaire says the Glengarry neighbourhood has been a key area of focus for the POP Unit, allowing Family Services Windsor-Essex and the Canadian Mental Health Association to set up a dedicated safe space.
"Since last August, the POP Unit has maintained a sustained and active presence there. In one year into this initiative, we've seen significant progress," he says. "Violent crime is down, property crimes are down, and calls for service to police are down. As a result, our health and human service providers are better able to serve the residents of this neighbourhood."
According to police, the Glengarry initiative has resulted in year-over-year improvements, including a 45 per cent decrease in property crimes, a 38 per cent decrease in crimes against persons, and a 14 per cent decrease in total calls for service in the first year of operation.
"I'd say we're 80 per cent proactive in getting ahead of things in deterring issues from becoming bigger issues for not only our unit but also patrol, responding officers, frontline officers," he says.
The funding was announced Thursday at Windsor Police Headquarters by Zee Hamid, Ontario's Associate Solicitor General, Auto Theft and Bail Reform.
There was also a $632,970 grant to support the Crisis Response Team, which pairs crisis intervention-trained police officers with CIT-trained social workers from Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare. The team works to divert workload away from hospital emergency departments so that individuals who need urgent medical attention can access those services more quickly.
The Nurse Police Team is also receiving $500,000 to continue its work. The NPT is a partnership with Windsor Regional Hospital that pairs frontline officers with nursing professionals to deliver proactive care to people struggling with substance use and mental health challenges. It was initially launched as a pilot project in May 2023.