St. Thomas, ON – Friday November 10th, 2023
For Immediate Release
The St. Thomas Police Service is committed to delivering effective public safety services and ensuring every citizen is safe and feels safe. There are a number of ongoing public safety pressures facing our City, particularly in our downtown core, and the following report serves to outline STPS operational responses to the identified issues.
Over the past year (2021-2022), the Crime Severity Index has increased throughout Ontario, and specifically in our City by 13%. With this increase, we are seeing police resources stretched thin. We’ve seen a shift in the types of crime and disorder issues that are present in St. Thomas. Socioeconomic impacts have manifested in many Ontario cities in recent years and St. Thomas has not been immune to these challenges. Access to social and health services has been identified as a main contributing factor, which have been exacerbated post-Covid. These issues have typically been more prevalent in larger cities but have now migrated to smaller communities. This is a natural progression that evolves with growth. A number of social determinants of community health are affecting cities throughout Canada, and in particular – in local downtown regions. Homelessness and poverty are social issues that are affecting a growing number of people. Many struggle to find shelter – a basic human need for survival. Mental health and substance use disorders are increasing as well.
We are committed to finding resourceful and effective ways to carry out our obligations to the core functions of policing as per the Police Services Act and the incoming Community Safety and Policing Act. Responding to the increasing demands within the health and human services realms is proving to be a challenging and unsustainable venture for all police services. As reported throughout the past year, STPS frontline officers have been increasingly responsible for much more than the core-functions of public safety. Officers have been progressively expected to solve a variety of problems that develop in the community. A large portion of the matters we are responding to have minor criminal elements, if any, and are typically related to quality-of-life issues that fall within the social and health sectors.
Looking for ways to be cost conscious while still providing adequate and effective services is a persistent challenge in the policing sector. Being responsible financially, and finding the safest and most efficient processes with the right care-right person mindset remains a top priority.
Police services are an essential part of community safety and well-being. For many, a growing number of calls for police services are related to mental health or substance use issues, and there is substantial pressure mounting on the justice system to more appropriately respond to and support those who are impacted by it. Canada continues to grapple with the Fentanyl crisis and a poisoned drug supply that is devastating communities and taking lives. There is a strong push to move away from enforcement for possession to an integrated health-focused approach that requires partnerships between police, healthcare and all levels of government. It is proposed that rehabilitation efforts be increased through healthcare, treatment and social services to divert people struggling with substance use or addiction away from the criminal justice system. These diversionary opportunities would improve the health and safety outcomes for individuals with a substance use disorder, while also reducing property crime and repeat offences and the demand for drugs in communities.
Local problems need local solutions. That means creating space for more community-focused and preventative approaches, and scaling up new and existing affordable housing models. Real and transformative change has been occurring in St. Thomas with investments in affordable housing. Indwell has supported new and innovative living conditions in St. Thomas for those that require housing and to be part of a broader ecosystem of social care, prevention, intervention and rehabilitation. This is an example of the shift from reaction to prevention that yields remarkable impacts and improves public safety.
The social determinants that can lead to crime are a clear indication that we need to stop working in silos. We need to continue sharing data amongst community organizations and take a people-first approach, particularly for the vulnerable populations. As we know, many individuals living with challenges are criminalized because they lack supports or don’t know how to access them, or because there are no supports to access. The St. Thomas Police Services Community Resource Team (Special Constables) has been active since mid-2022, playing a major role in identifying the needs and addressing the complex pressures in our downtown region. This team works closely with our downtown business partners, Indwell, the Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST), the Street Outreach Team (SOT), The Inn (Emergency Shelter services), and St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services (STESS) to serve the public and mitigate the circumstances that create the conditions for criminality to begin with.
We understand that people do not typically interact with the police on a good day. The Community Resource Team (CRU) has been designed to ensure a next-era community safety and well-being approach replacing the unsustainable solutions of having police officers directly involved with the vulnerable population. These individuals that are struggling need compassionate connections to lead them along a healthy pathway to a more accessible human and social services ecosystem that is already rooted in St. Thomas. This is precisely the mandate of the CRU Team. St. Thomas has been working to build a resilient and well-connected community. The networks of support have increased capacities to identify problems within the downtown community, establish priorities and act collectively with key partners to implement solutions. The pressure to transition to a community system of connectedness is unrelenting. All service providers must be committed, funded and staffed to contribute to a system that appropriately responds to and rehabilitates those that need support.
The St. Thomas Police Service is committed to the community, its members and designing meaningful strategies to support the continuity of citizen safety, well-being and care. We will continue to advocate for the upscaling of police and community resources to enhance the multi-sectoral network approaches that are now firmly in place in St. Thomas. Wise investments yield results.
