The Cornwall Police Service (CPS) is pleased to share the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan. The plan was recently approved by the Cornwall Police Services Board at the September 9th, 2021 board meeting.
After extensive consultations with members of the public, community partners and employees, the CPS has streamlined all input into strategic priorities in response to the needs of Cornwall’s evolving community.
Four major pillars were identified as the plan’s foundation over the next three years. They are: Community Engagement, Organizational Excellence, Crime Reduction & Community Safety and Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity. Embedded within each of these pillars are strategic priorities that the CPS will look to achieve by the end of 2023.
“During the development stages of this plan, we noted a clear alignment of many priorities between the public, community partners and our employees, “said Acting Chief of Police, Shawna Spowart. “Continuing our efforts in building trust through Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity, implementing an Integrated Opioid Harm Reduction Strategy, and enhancing services to the vulnerable sector were some of the many priorities that aligned with participants, emphasizing their important presence within the Strategic Plan.”
Some of the additional strategic priorities of the plan include increasing visibility and presence, expanding and diversifying partnerships and modernizing youth engagement strategies. Promoting organizational wellness, modernizing the deployment of resources, improving road safety, as well as addressing systemic barriers are also among many of the priorities set out for the next three years.
In order to ensure progress towards these objectives, the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan is fully measurement-driven. Annual Operational Action Plans will be established, which will contain internal tracking mechanisms that are specific to executing the strategic priorities.
The plan development began in late 2020, with a review of the 2018-2020 Strategic Plan to determine if any outstanding action items needed to be carried over the next plan. Following the review, between March 19- April 22, 2021, members of the community were invited to participate in a Strategic Plan Survey, to help understand how residents and community members feel about crime and safety in the City of Cornwall. A total of 1,477 surveys were completed.
“We were very pleased to see a wide cross-section of community members take part in the survey and have their voices heard,” said Acting Chief Spowart. “The CPS placed a great emphasis on ensuring all members of Cornwall’s diverse population had an opportunity to participate and we were fortunate to receive a tremendous amount of support with its distribution.”
Of the total respondents, 19.6% identified as a member of Indigenous or a visible minority community and 9.5% identified as a member of the LGBTQ2+ community. There were a total of 13% who identified as having a disability. A greater analysis of the needs of these communities revealed approximately 46% rated the performance of the CPS in working with diverse community as above average. 84% of respondents who identified as Indigenous or visible minority expressed a moderate level of trust or greater in the CPS, while 74% of LGBTQ2+ respondents expressed a moderate level of trust or greater. Top crime concerns for these communities included violence against women, the presence of drugs/drug dealers and sexual assault. The survey results will continue to be incredibly helpful in fulfilling strategic priorities under the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Pillar of the plan, and will be used to better understand the needs of the diverse communities we serve. Members of the CPS will be meeting with diverse groups over the coming months to discuss the results of the survey data.
The overall survey results revealed that 85.6% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of services provided by the CPS, despite 46.4% of respondents indicating they feel crime has increased in the City of Cornwall over the last three years. The most important priority that respondents felt police needed to address was organized crime, which includes drug trafficking and incidents involving weapons.
Following the survey, Mr. Tony Kerekes, a consultant with SpriggHR, moderated community partner consultation sessions, asking the participants about the frequency and quality of interactions with the CPS. Internal input was also included as part of the plan development process in order to determine what employees felt should be priorities for the service.
All of the data compiled from the survey, community partner consultations and internal consultations were reviewed and analyzed by approximately 30 members of the CPS and members of the Cornwall Police Services Board. The data was used to complete a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis to better define the areas that would need to be addressed as part of the plan. The strategy sessions, paired with a thorough analysis of the data collected, has resulted in the final 2021-2023 Strategic Plan.
“This plan is a clear demonstration of the Service’s willingness to listen to the needs of those who live in and/or visit the City of Cornwall,” said former Chair of the Cornwall Police Services Board, Mayor Glen Grant. “As we move forward with the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, the Cornwall Police Services Board looks forward to seeing the successful implementation of these initiatives and the meaningful impact on all residents and visitors of Cornwall.”
The CPS would like to thank the many members of the public, community partners, and employees who participated in this process. Our members remain committed to serving the vibrant communities of Cornwall, while embodying our values of integrity, respect and empathy. We look forward to pursuing the strategies contained within the plan, as we work in partnership to build trust and create our vision of “a safer Cornwall.”
2021-2023 Strategic Plan:
Click here to read the 2021-2023 Strategic Plan
Plan Development Documents:
2021 Strategic Plan Public Survey (All Respondents)
2021 Strategic Plan Public Survey (Respondents who identified as a member of the LGBTQ2+ community)
2021 Strategic Plan Public Survey (Respondents who identified as having a disability)