OPS expanding footprint to better serve Ottawa's south end

The Ottawa Police Service will soon be implementing a new deployment model which would divide the city into four districts — east, central, west and south. 

The project is expected to cost an estimated $11.4 million over three years as the service will be hiring 63 new officers and civilian professionals to accommodate the expansion.

The goal of the restructuring is to better serve all corners of the city, according to Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs. 

"We have such distinct and unique needs in the 24 wards that make up the City of Ottawa and it was obvious to me that we were not serving some areas of the city in the way that we should," Stubbs told members of the media Monday afternoon. 

More notably, Stubbs says the growth of Ottawa's south end has been rapid over the last decade, and service from OPS needs to match those demands. 

"The number one thing that I hear [from communities] is we want more of you. We want you in our neighborhoods [and] more presence," Stubbs said. 

The district restructuring will allow for greater accountability, better response times from OPS and deeper engagement with communities, according to an Ottawa police report prepared for the Ottawa Police Service Board. 

Stubbs noted the restructuring comes at a time when the service is seeing an increased volume in calls. 

Roll out plan

Each of the four districts will be led by a superintendent who will be responsible for neighbourhood policing and frontline patrol operations. 

The districts will be anchored by an integrated neighbourhood team which will include community intake relationship specialists, crime and research analysts, neighbourhood resource teams, community police officers, youth officers and traffic officers, the report said.

In addition to the 63 new positions being added to the service, the report states 92 existing positions have been repurposed from the current structure to support the future model. 

Due to budget constraints and available resources, the report states the new district model will roll out from 2026 to 2028, splitting up the hiring periods and spending. 

Police say they will be conducting a comprehensive analysis to finalize the zone boundaries to accurately determine the staffing needs. 

"The district model represents a transformative step forward for the Ottawa Police Service — one that is rooted in community input, operational insight, and a clear vision for more responsive, accountable, and locally focused policing," the report reads.