Windsor is preparing a new tactic in the fight against crime.
The city is responding to an increase in property and violent crime, particularly in the downtown area, by introducing a unit of 12 officers to concentrate on patrol efforts in specific neighbourhoods.
The special unit will be dubbed P.O.P, which stands for Problem-Oriented Policing. Mayor Drew Dilkens says the initiative is being made in direct response to instances of violence in the downtown area, and with the core popular on weekends, he doesn't want anybody heading downtown to have fun to feel threatened.
"What I don't want is anybody to feel unsafe in their own community, and I want to address this as quickly as possible," says Dilkens.
The mayor says the positions would be permanent, with a cost of about $1.4-million.
The downtown area has seen a more frequent instance of crime, complete with two instances over the weekend. Two men were stabbed during an assault early Saturday morning, then officers were kept busy Saturday night and into Sunday morning by a series of fights and assaults taking place, the majority of them in the core.
Dilkens blames the increase in crime on the growing opioid problem in Canada, and he believes people are turning to petty crime to keep their habits going.
"I think anyone who works downtown can see on a daily basis some of the challenges that we're experiencing as a result of mental health, the opioid and drug addiction issues, and sometimes the intersection of both," says Dilkens.
The Windsor Police Services Board will review the plan and once it's approved, it will go to the full city council.
