The new Ottawa Police Service hub in the Rideau Centre is officially open, a key part of the plan to improve safety and security in the busy tourist and business area.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Chief Eric Stubbs will attend a ceremony to open the Neighbourhood Operations Centre on the first floor of the mall on Rideau Street this morning..
“The NOC will act as a vital coordination hub to enhance police presence and provide a collaborative space to work with our local partners,” police said earlier this month.
The new operations centre is opening just before Canada Day, when police will be increasing their presence in the area.
Ottawa police have said the Rideau Centre hub will not be open to the public when it first opens. The Neighbourhood Resources Team and Community Police will use the centre to coordinate operations, hold briefings and host community meetings.
The new police hub was originally scheduled to open on June 3, but the opening was delayed because of “supply chain issues with some key parts to get that office up and running,” according to Stubbs.
Stubbs has said “staffing limitations” mean it won’t be open for the public until at least 2025.
The new operations centre in the downtown mall is part of the ‘Community Outreach Response and Enforcement Strategy,’ focusing on enhancing public safety in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street area.
The strategy will also include officers targeting “hot spots of high crime concentration” and focusing enforcement on “identifying high-harm offenders.”
Ottawa police will receive $48 million from the Ontario government over three years to address community and public safety. The funding will cover an increase in uniformed police officers in the ByWard Market and on the transit system, along with alternative mental health supports. Staff say the Community Outreach Response and Engagement Strategy is a central element of the plan.