2012-2013 Campus Community Police Annual Report

Table of Contents

• Intruduction
• Our Partnership with Guelph Police Service
• Who Are We
• Our Staff
• Recruitment and Hiring
• Complaints Against Members
• Training and Conferences
• Statistics

Introduction

The University of Guelph Campus Community Police (CCP) receive their regulatory authority through the Guelph Police Services Board as approved by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. As a true member of the university community, CCP works cooperatively with our stakeholders and partners to identify, address and implement solutions and services to enhance safety for our diverse community.

The University of Guelph main campus continues to be a vibrant and growing community. The campus is active 24 hours, 7 days a week with a daily population of approximately 30,000 students, staff and visitors. At night, approximately 5,000 students in residence and family housing units call the campus home.

Our team of dedicated officers makes a conscious effort to create an atmosphere in which members of the university community actively engage with us. CCP take the lead role for law enforcement and physical security for our community. Through a diverse variety of partnerships, participation on committees and presentations, we provide education and act as a resource both on and off campus. This year CCP were active with programs like the Rape Aggression Defence System (RAD), Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), Workplace Harassment and Violence, the STOP program and the Officer in Residence Program. If you would like more information about the Campus Community Police and our community engagement, please visit our website www.police.uoguelph.ca 

Our Partnership with Guelph Police Service

The University of Guelph and the Campus Community Police continue to enjoy a positive working relationship with the Guelph Police Service.

Members of the Campus Community Police are designated as Special Constables as authorized by the Guelph Police Services Board and approved by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. This appointment confers specified powers of a police officer, to the extent and for the specific purpose set out in the appointment and are restricted to a specific jurisdiction. The appointments are renewed every five years. Further, an Agreement between the Guelph Police Services Board and the University of Guelph governs the roles and responsibilities of both the Campus Community Police and the Guelph Police Service. The Agreement defines and enhances the strong working relationship between the two services.

Our partnership with Guelph Police includes the provision of training, oversight and mentorship to the staff of CCP. The staff from both services works jointly to identify and resolve issues common to both departments. Although CCP is not directly involved in the downtown and neighbourhood front-line policing activities, we continue to offer our experience and knowledge in student life and conduct to Chief Larkin and his team to support the creative initiatives in these areas. This year, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League announced that they would be playing their 2013 home games at the University of Guelph. This unique opportunity brought together senior administrators from both services, the University and the City of Guelph to plan for the safety, security, traffic and parking issues related to such a large endeavour.

I would like to thank all members of the Guelph Police Service for their support and assistance. I look forward to the continuation of this partnership and I am committed to contributing in the collective interest of the university and the city to manage situations and uphold the safety and security of the university community.

Robin Begin, Director

Campus Community Police,

Fire Prevention

and Parking Services,

University of Guelph.

Who We Are

The University of Guelph Campus Community Police Service is a department of highly trained special constables and dispatchers who are responsible for the safety and security of the University’s Guelph campus. We also act as a resource for the University’s regional campuses in Ridgetown, Kemptville and Alfred.

Our office is located in the Trent Building on Trent Lane. Members of the CCP are on campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year working to ensure that a safe environment is maintained for those who study, work, visit and live at the university. You can contact the CCP using any of the following:

Contact information:

519-824-4120 ext. 52245

519-840-5000 – new direct lines to allow cell phone callers to bypass the university switchboard.

519-824-4120 ext. 2000  (Emergencies) Any on campus pay-phone – no charge dial

Any blue emergency phone

Any yellow call box Any elevator phone

Our Staff

The Campus Community Police now have a total staff of eighteen providing service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are four civilian dispatchers and twelve sworn Special Constables interacting with and responding to calls on campus.

Recruitment and Hiring

The Campus Community Police hired one Special Constable during this reporting period.

Shyanne McGregor joined our service in August 2012. Shyanne is a graduate of the Police Foundations and Advanced Police Studies program at Conestoga College.

Complaints against Members

There was one complaint received against a special constable of the CCP. Following the CCP policy for Complaints against a Member, an internal investigation was completed. As per the Agreement, the Guelph Police Service was advised of the complaint. Any disciplinary action required was in accordance with the Collective Agreement with the University of Guelph Police Association. 

Training and Conferences

In partnership with the Training Branch of the Guelph Police Service, Ontario Association of College and University Security Administrators (OACUSA) and International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), we continue to explore opportunities for training and professional development for the department. Training is also provided by the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) and the Ontario Police Video Training Alliance (OPVTA)

In compliance with our agreement with the Guelph Police Services Board, all officers completed the mandatory First Aid/CPR and the Use of Force course. The table below provides examples of the wide variety of professional development undertaken by the members of the Campus Police in 2012-13.

The following chart outlines the statistics for the reporting year.

We continue to track incidents on campus to assist in determining training needs, education, outreach and strategies for effective mobilization of resources. We also share this information with our community during the academic year through a weekly incident report that is posted on our social media sites.

In this reporting period, the Campus Police responded to 4,626 calls for service resulting in 1,509 Incident Reports being completed by the officers.

For this reporting year, the incidents of Break and Enter increased by 8. There were two specific incidents, one in May 2012 and one in January 2013 where three buildings were targeted on one day.

The number of Physical Assaults decreased by half for this reporting period, dropping from 10 to 5 incidents and there were no incidents of Assault of a Peace Officer.

The number of reported Hate Activity incidents decreased by 3 with the majority of the incidents related to graffiti containing a hateful message. All incidents of Hate Activity are documented and photographed. Crime Bulletins are distributed throughout the university community and the Hate Activity sub-committee of the Human Rights Advisory Committee. This committee is responsible for educating our community about Hate Activity and taking affirmative measures to reduce incidents of hate.

The number of general Thefts and Thefts of Automobiles decreased during this reporting period but the number of reported Theft of Bicycles increased by 10 incidents. Over the past year, the University has taken many positive steps toward making the university a cyclist friendly environment including more covered bicycle shelters and bike repair stations which have increased the number of bicycles brought to campus on a daily basis. The CCP Bike Unit continues to work to educate cyclists on safe locking practices and how to deter bike thefts.