Barrie police community safety and well-being teams hit the streets

NEWS RELEASE
BARRIE POLICE SERVICE
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The Barrie Police Service’s new Community Safety and Well-Being (CSWB) teams have now launched within our community. One team will be focused on addressing high-harm occurrences, and a second team will work closely with partner organizations to respond to certain calls for service where additional community resources would allow for a more effective response.

The Barrie Police Service understands the importance of using research to enhance service delivery and informed decision-making. As part of a larger service-wide shift implementing evidence-based policing concepts throughout the organization, our CSWB teams will use a data-driven approach to deploy to areas and issues that require police attention.

Now more than ever, police services are adapting to evolving challenges that are facing our community and developing alternative response approaches and strategies to effectively combat these emerging issues.

The CSWB Community Engagement Team will work closely with community service agencies to collaboratively address homelessness, addictions, and mental health concerns within the community. The community engagement team will be visible in areas of the city that are experiencing social disorder and will work to improve community safety and well-being in these areas.

The addition of our new Community Safety and Well Being teams will support a multi-sectoral approach to addressing community concerns,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Winn. “This holistic approach will certainly support our community in addressing the underlying causes of crime and will allow for police and community agencies to work together to serve some of the most vulnerable populations present within our city."

The high-harm focused CSWB team will be proactively responding during the times and areas where data supports that crime and social disorder concerns are occurring. This team will focus on decreasing victimization within our community by targeting areas known to be experiencing high harm crimes.

Visitors and business owners will likely notice an increased police presence in specific areas and at specific times when we have typically seen issues,” said Sgt. Randy Fitzgerald, who oversees the Community Safety and Well-Being teams.

Through the implementation of these teams, the Barrie Police Service is taking a more strategic approach to the deployment of resources and seeking targeted, measurable outcomes that better our community.

The public will also have opportunities to offer feedback on issues and areas that the CSWB teams should be aware of. Follow Barrie Police on social media or visit BarriePolice.ca for more information when opportunities become available.

Stay up-to-date on the CSWB Unit by following our CSWB officer on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BPSCommunitySafety

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