Stratford Police seeking public input on strategic plan

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Stratford residents will soon have a chance to share their thoughts on a strategic plan that’s set to guide the future of local policing over the next four years.

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This plan, which will outline police priorities from 2026 through 2029, is actually something the Stratford Police Service should have had last year and is a requirement under Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act, said Steve Cousins, who chairs the the local police services board.

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“I would say . . . that it’s really an important thing anyways. The whole notion of vision and strategy for any organization is, if you don’t know where you’re going to go, any roads going to get you there,” Cousins said.

“We need to understand where we’re going to go, and the key thing is, it’s not in isolation. The whole notion of policing is something the community requires and expects,” Cousins added.

While still in the early stages of development, board officials say there will be several priorities defined in the plan, including community safety, public trust, modern service delivery and responsible oversight.

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As part of the process, there will be several opportunities for the public to provide input, including a public survey, focus groups and interviews. The process, including a launch of a survey, is expected to begin some time in January.

“The primary thing is we’re going back to the community to check in in terms of priorities and values and principles, and where they want to be in the next three or four or five years, so I think we’re testing the waters,” Cousins said.

While the board is well aware of where things are statistically, what the challenges are and plan on doing further analysis, there “is a notion of perceptions of safety and awareness and what the people expect the role of the police to be in the future,” Cousins said.

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“We’re trying to figure out how we engage, and a lot of policing isn’t just about dealing with folks that pop up.  It’s really about involving the community and solutions as well. I would say, right? So I think that’s something that people miss,” he added.

As part of the planning process, the board will also engage stakeholder groups such as local victim services and other agencies, as well as survey all members of the police force. They have also contracted Consilium Public Sector Services, whose CEO is Kim Derry, a former deputy chief of the Toronto Police, to help with the process.

The aim is to have a preliminary report presented to the board in early April, with a public information session later that month. The final draft of the strategic plan is set to be released some time in May.

“It’s very detailed and transparent, and it’s a very professional process,” Cousins said.

watwood@postmedia.com

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