Making a plan

Police response time and crime prevention are issues Joe Virdiramo wants to see in the Thunder Bay Police Services Board’s 2011-2013 business plan.

The police services board chairman and Westfort councilor would also like to see the Maclean’s magazine article highlighting the city’s high crime rate broken down for the public.

“I think we need to communicate to the general public exactly what that means,” Virdiramo said. “We need to inform the general public of exactly what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and if there’s anything that we need to do more of.”

The board will be meeting within the next month to develop the next three-year business plan for the Thunder Bay Police Service and deputy chief J.P. Levesque said he doubts it will differ much from the last plan’s objectives, which included the use of intelligence, working with First Nations organizations, keeping technology up to date and crime prevention.

“You might see some expansion of some of the thoughts and priorities in that plan,” said Levesque. “I know crime prevention certainly was a huge issue during the last municipal election and people in this community have made that very clear, so that might be something moved up the scale on the priority level.”

The board develops the plan using information surveyed from the public, the school boards, businesses and the police service and board.

Having a business plan in place is vital, said Levesque.

“It gives us as administration the focus on where the police services board expects us to focus how we deliver service to the city and that flows down,” he said. “It lets our frontline people know what our expectations are; it’s very clear.”

The plan is a bit delayed this year because of the municipal election last fall and changes in police board personnel. Levesque said they wanted to wait until the new members were in place before starting work on the plan.

In other police board business, Allan Laakkonen was appointed to the police services board for a three-year term. Laakkonen has experience with the police services board as chairman from 2003-2006 and spent 12 years as a city councillor.