Dennis Poole, Chief of Police
On behalf of the officers and staff of the Chatham-Kent Police Service, it is my honour to present the 2010 Annual Report to our community.
This past year has seen a whirlwind of activity and advancement as our Service continues its rapid evolvement to meet the challenges of today’s policing environment, and implement new technologies that are helping us meet those challenges. We continue in our efforts to examine our business processes to find more efficient ways to operate in an era of increasing demands and cost pressures, and to utilize the new technologies provided by our Business Plan to cope with those steadily increasing pressures. Our dedicated staff continue to perform at high levels in order to achieve their goals and continue to work towards making Chatham-Kent the safest community in Ontario. Community engagement and prevention-related activities are beginning to show results, “chronic offenders” are being successfully targeted, and community partnerships further enhanced to recognize and deal with the root causes of crime in our community. The “Blackberry Project” as an operational mobile solution has been recognized across Ontario, and indeed North America, as a leading edge innovation in policing technology that has not only captured the attention of many other Police Services, but has been recognized with several prestigious awards in the technology and public service sector for the very dedicated and hard-working team that has designed and implemented the program. We look forward to working with our team of partners to enhance these capabilities even further in the coming years. Our new and interactive website and improved communication and interaction with the public are key elements of our continuing success.
Organizational development and change is active and ongoing as we adapt to meet current and new demands. Continued professional and personal development of our committed staff will ensure that we have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to meet Ontario’s Adequacy Standards for Policing, and ensure the succession of a professional and competent investigative and leadership team in the future. Our continued and valued partnership with the Municipality has resulted in cross-cultural job sharing opportunities, and continues to provide us the advantage of capturing economic efficiencies in shared services and operational effectiveness.
I would like to thank the Police Services Board for their insightful guidance, dedication and commitment to our Police Service and our community, as well as our Municipal Council and our citizens for their confidence and support. We will continue to work hard to earn and keep the trust of our community as we protect and serve with integrity, fairness and courage.