Belleville Police Service asks for public input on policing priorities

The Belleville Police Service Board is asking the public to complete a short survey that will be used in developing the Strategic Plan for 2026-2028.

See Belleville Police Service’s previous Strategic Plans.

Take action

Take the survey here

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and will be available until April 8, 2025.

Community round tables with community stakeholders will be held:

• Monday February 24, 2025 from 11AM to noon
• Friday February 28, 2025 from 11AM to noon

An open house to solicit public input will be scheduled for sometime in April.

For more information contact the Belleville Police Service Board at: [email protected].

Background

The Belleville Police Service Board is required by the Ontario government to prepare each of the following plans in consultation with municipal council and local community groups:

• Strategic Plan – how the police service board will ensure adequate and effective policing based on the needs of the population of the area.
• Community Safety Plan – identifies strategies and services to address risk factors including systemic discrimination and other social factors that contribute to crime, victimization, addiction, drug overdose and suicide.
• Diversity Plan – ensure that the members of the municipal board appointed by the municipality are representative of the diversity of the population in the municipality.

Survey questions

Questions to review in preparation of the roundtable discussions:

• What are the most important safety issues facing your community today?
• How safe do you feel in your neighbourhood?
• How would you rate the level of trust between police and your community?
• What types of police services or programs do you believe are most needed in your community?
• How can police officers interact with your community to build stronger relationships?
• What role do you think the police should play in addressing social issues like homelessness, substance abuse, or mental health crises?
• How can the police improve communication and transparency with the public?
• What specific actions can the police take to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within their department?

Open Council commentary

What types of police services or programs do you believe are most needed in your community?

• Invest in the Community Resource Unit – Downtown Belleville has shut down its Welcoming Streets program, so there is an opportunity for the Belleville Police Service to step in and provide similar services.
• Invest in and expand Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team (MCRRT)
  • Kingston’s MCRRT collaboratively responds to emergency and non- emergency mental health related calls and are available from 7 am to 4 am, seven days per week, MCRRT teams are dispatched as appropriate to respond and follow up to 911 calls to better support individuals in crisis and divert individuals from emergency rooms when possible.
  • Peterborough Police Service’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (MCIT) consists of two teams, each comprised of a Police Constable partnered with a Mental Health Worker from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
• Provide specialized training to Belleville Police Service offers to aid them in recognizing, building rapport and assisting those who are unsheltered, struggling with drug addiction or having a mental health crisis.
• Apply to, and deliver more services funded by Ontario’s community safety grant programs
  • Belleville Police Service did not receive any funding for 2024-2026 under the Proceeds of Crime Front-line Policing Grant
    • Peterborough Police Service and municipal and community leadership received $167,000 to develop a deeper understanding of hate crimes and hate bias to create informed and efficient responses and strategies.
    • Port Hope Police Service received $175,000 to educate students, teachers and parents about internet safety. Topics will include cyberbullying, human trafficking, sexting, pornography and other relevant topics to provide participants with awareness, education and resources to help keep youth safe online. 
  • Belleville Police Service did not receive funding under the Mobile Crisis Response Team Enhancement Grant
    • Quinte West received $120K
    • Peterborough received $60K
  • Belleville Police Service received $615K under the Community Safety and Policing Grant for the Welcoming Streets program 2022-2025. That program closed in 2025.
    • Funding will be used to enhance Cobourg Police Services’ Mental Health Engagement and Response Team by developing services, resources and programming dedicated toward youth.
    • Kingston Police Services Board received $2.7M to build on the positive outcomes of the Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team and the Crisis Outreach and Support Team initiatives, the funding will help Kingston Police Service increase staff to enable the team to handle more mental health related calls. This initiative supports Kingston Police’s Mental Health Collaboration Model to be more supportive community partners in mental health strategies.
    • Quinte West received $183K to build on existing police partnerships with St. Leonard’s Intersections Program, victim assistance, addictions and mental health and other community support agencies that help expand police capacity to redirect vulnerable members of the community to appropriate resources. Funding will allow partner agencies to increase the hours they can staff programs for referrals by police.

How can police officers interact with your community to build stronger relationships?

The CRU is doing a great job – particularly on social media (Facebook and Instagram) – from taking part in various local events and participating in the CBC piece on the opioid state of emergency.

I believe more public safety updates, success stories, and educational content and less fewer collaborations with/promotions of local businesses such as Pho Blue Basil, Lafferty Menswear and Starbucks would be more aligned with the responsibilities of the Police Service.

What role do you think the police should play in addressing social issues like homelessness, substance abuse, or mental health crises?

• Prepare a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan as per Section 250 of the Community Safety and Policing Act.
• The police should primarily de-escalate situations, provide immediate safety, and refer individuals to specialized agencies equipped to handle these complex issues, rather than solely relying on law enforcement methods like arrests. This often requires training in de-escalation techniques, recognition of mental health signs, and strong collaborations with community support organizations with a focus on communication, empathy and de-escalation.
• The Police Service should actively and openly advocate for increased funding for their community service partners to provide the services that are outside their purview and collaborate with them on joint projects (eg. joint grant applications to the Ontario government).

How can the police improve communication and transparency with the public?

• Include KPIs in Strategic Plan, Diversity Plan and Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (see: Kingston Police Strategic Plan)
  • Strategic Objectives
  • Action Plans
  • Community Safety and Statistical Drivers
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • Reporting format and frequency
• Publish recordings of Police Services Board committee meetings to YouTube, a best practice recommended by Ombudsman Ontario that is done by many municipalities including PEC, Quinte West and Kingston. I would also recommend that this be done for all committees of the City of Belleville.
• Publish bios of Police Services Board committee members so that the public knows who is making decision on their behalf as is done by Peterborough, Ottawa, York Region, Cobourg and Hamilton. I would also recommend that this be done for all committees of the City of Belleville.
• Publish a dashboard of showing incident counts on a monthly or yearly basis as is done by municipalities including Barrie, Durham Region and Ottawa. Much of this data is already reported in Belleville Police Service Board meeting documents, but could be made much more accessible to the public.

What specific actions can the police take to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within their department?

• Prepare a Diversity Plan as required by Section 28 of the Community Safety and Policing Act to ensure that the members of the municipal board appointed by the municipality are representative of the diversity of the population in the municipality.
• Regularly provide diversity and inclusivity training to all employees and members.
• Participate in cultural events in the community, specifically in communities that may feel disconnected from the police. eg. cultural festivals, Pride events, heritage months, and special awareness days.
• Ensure policies explicitly support inclusivity, diversity, and zero-tolerance for discrimination or harassment.
• Set KPIs, measure and report on progress at least annually, eg.
  • Number of community meetings attended, cultural events attended, newcomer orientations, and recruiting outreach.
  • Number of new candidates entering the mentorship program annually;
  • Total number of contacts with candidates in the mentorship program;
  • Number of applications from women;
  • Number of applications from diverse communities;
  • Percentage of women hired; and,
  • Percentage of members from diverse communities hired.
• Regularly report demographic data on officer diversity, as well as statistics related to stops, arrests, and use-of-force incidents. Use this data to identify biases or disparities, openly communicating steps being taken to address them.

Full survey