Editorial: Reporting crime online to Ottawa police sounds good
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We’re cautiously optimistic about Ottawa police’s plans to create an online reporting portal. Residents will soon be able to report non-violent crimes, such as thefts from property and vandalism, without picking up the phone.
The police say they want to make reporting more convenient for residents. This makes sense.
Too often when someone is the victim of a minor crime, they just shrug it off. They trudge on in silence. Maybe they vent to a co-worker or two.
After all, they feel silly going into the police station to a file report for something as minor as graffiti.
But it shouldn’t be that way. If someone steals from you or damages your property, that’s against the law. The police and city need to have an accurate picture of how many of these violations occur. That way the information can be put to use.
It’s on that note we become cautious. Sometimes online databases are just that. Databases that don’t do anything.
If the police are preparing to receive these reports, they better have the resources to do something about them. Maybe that means analyzing the data to figure out the hotspots that need greater policing. We’ll leave it up to the experts to figure out the details.
But we want to make sure there will at least be details to follow.
At its best, the online reporting tool can become much like 311 is for the city. A convenient service for residents that empowers them to feel more involved in their daily lives while also eliminating bureaucratic steps and administrative costs.
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We applaud the all-party provincial committee investigating Ornge for calling former CEO Chris Mazza back to testify again. We weren’t happy with his performance.
MPP Frank Klees, who’s heading up the committee, wants the chance to follow up with Mazza. He’s right to do this. This is a complicated case with a lot of details to it.
Ontarians have a right to ask questions about how the billion dollars they either gave or loaned to Ontario’s air ambulance services over five years was spent.
We’re owed answers. If the committee doesn’t get them, we hope either the provincial auditor general or OPP do.
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