Thread: Panhandlers
View Single Post
  #68  
Old Posted Jan 28, 2010, 12:12 PM
SteelTown's Avatar
SteelTown SteelTown is offline
It's Hammer Time
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 19,872
Expect to see more cops in core, chief says

January 28, 2010
Nicole O'Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/713345

Police Chief Glenn De Caire promises there will be more uniformed police officers walking, cycling and patrolling the downtown core starting this summer.

This focus is largely thanks to more than $500,000 in government funding through the Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (PAVIS), earmarked for communities dealing with gun and gang violence.

It's to combat crime but also people's perception of crime, De Caire told The Spectator's editorial board yesterday.

"Crime and crime statistics only tell part of the story," he said, adding that people need to feel safe bringing their families downtown.

Past funding through PAVIS has been used on the integrated guns and gangs work co-ordinated with surrounding communities, including Halton, Brantford and Niagara.

But De Caire wasn't convinced having plainclothes officers patrolling the downtown is the best way to make the area safer and more accessible. He wants more in uniform.

The service will not be hiring new officers; the funding will allow for officers to be redistributed and to work later shifts downtown.

De Caire said he can get more bang for his buck by not hiring new officers, because 22 per cent of the funds would then be used up to cover benefits alone.

A focus on the downtown and increased diversity on the police service are main priorities for De Caire, six weeks into the service's top job.

"I think it's quite a safe place," De Caire said of the downtown. But things change around 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., he added. Everything gets quieter.

The need to ramp up safety and clean up the downtown core has been the focus of several local politicians, particularly since Hamilton won the bid for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

De Caire sees preparing for the Games as a huge opportunity to make necessary improvements.

"We have to do our part ... because the world is coming to Hamilton," he said.

But police alone cannot fix all the downtown's problems. De Caire called for a "holistic approach," incorporating the city, community groups and social services.

Councillor Bob Bratina, who represents the ward, has been critical of what he sees as police inaction against crime in the downtown. His comments led, in part, to the city calling for a downtown stakeholders meeting earlier this month.

But Bratina said he is encouraged by De Caire's promise and the work he has done so far.

"There are already fewer difficult-looking people in the downtown," he said.

Bratina agrees that to save the downtown, "everyone has to work together."

This includes police, public works and economic development, he said.
Reply With Quote