Crime Prevention Ottawa (CPO) is a city-funded municipal board which aims to contribute to crime reduction and enhanced community safety in Ottawa through collaborative, evidence-based crime prevention.
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History
CPO was established in 2005 based on the recommendations of a 2004 report entitled “Community Crime Prevention: Investing in a Safer Ottawa”. These recommendations called for the creation of a permanent crime prevention responsibility centre that would unite key stakeholders and community members throughout the city. CPO’s vision is a community in which individuals, families and neighborhoods are safe and feel safe. In 2009, budget cuts threatened the continuation of CPO however after overwhelming support from the community CPO received the city funding needed to maintain their ongoing projects and to put in place new targeted crime prevention initiatives throughout the city.
Initiatives
CPO’s priorities include reducing violence against women, reducing crime in high risk neighbourhoods and working with youth in high risk environments. The "Don't be that Guy" campaign aims at preventing sexual assault by educating young males aged 16–25 through direct and bold messages placed on posters in areas where youth gather (universities, campuses, bars). The "Together for Vanier" initiative involved reaching out to the leaders of the Vanier community and creating a working group on neighborhood beautification, as well as establishing a community association to engage in preventing crime. CPO has the commitment and leadership to create partnerships, implement evidence-based programming, and contribute to long-term crime prevention in Ottawa.