Keeping Guelph Safe ... Together.

Neighbourhood Teams

Members of the Neighbourhood Teams Unit are the first responders to calls for police service and therefore the main interface between the Guelph Police Service and the public it serves. They are committed to the prevention of crime, protection of rights and enforcement of laws to enhance the quality of living in Guelph. Approximately one-third of all members of the Guelph Police Service - about half of all police officers - were assigned to the Neighbourhood Services Unit.

The neighbourhood police constables are divided among five shifts or platoons that operate on a 10-hour (or 8-hour night), 35-day shift cycle providing 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week policing services in the City of Guelph.

Providing effective, first-on-the-scene response to emergency, confrontational and potentially violent situations is the responsibility of neighbourhood teams. While the Guelph Police Service enjoys a very positive relationship with the community as a whole, much of the time of frontline police officers is spent dealing with people who are least likely to welcome police intervention - those who break the law or who otherwise pose a threat to community safety. With very few complaints of police misconduct, despite often-extended hours of work and increasing calls for service of a violent or potentially violent nature, the professionalism of Guelph's neighbourhood officers is integral to maintaining a high standard of performance for the entire organization.

The organizational framework for implementing neighbourhood policing in the City of Guelph was adopted by the Guelph Police Service in 1998 and remains in effect today. Neighbourhood team officers are responsible for policing the north-west (Neighbourhood #1), north-east (Neighbourhood #2) and south (Neighbourhood #3) areas of the city. They also work in the Downtown area (Neighbourhood #4) alongside the Downtown Liaison Officer.

As a result of the successful pilot project that commenced in 2007, the Guelph Police Neighbourhood Services Division now utilizes a Coordinated Enforcement Team (CET) and is comprised of five GPS officers. The team was set up to investigate street crime at a more dedicated level.


 

 

The five components of the neighbourhood policing model in Guelph

1. Problem-solving.
Neighbourhood police officers become familiar with the needs of a specific neighbourhood through continual interaction with the people who live and work in it.

2. Geographical responsibility.
In order to strengthen police-community partnerships and effectively respond to local issues, frontline officers are assigned to specific neighbourhoods for extended periods of time.

3. Improve quality of life.
The key "measures of success" of neighbourhood policing are improvements in the quality of life according to those who have a stake in the neighbourhood - residents, business owners, schools, community organizations and others.

4. Partnerships.
Neighbourhood teams are involved in partnerships comprised of police service members and neighbourhood representatives - residents, business owners, and members of other service providers and community groups.

5. Member recognition/career enrichment.
This area involves training and experience in leadership, community diversity, communications and technology complement knowledge of the law, emergency response and investigative techniques. Member recognition and performance evaluation is linked to the extent to which job performance contributes to achieving neighbourhood objectives.