Ottawa Pulls A Rudy Giuliani: QUOTABLE
“While officials say homelessness has increased across the city, there has also been criticism that intensified policing in Ottawa’s ByWard Market entertainment and historic district, east of Parliament Hill, that has pushed homeless people and visible disorder west into Centretown and Bank Street.”
The Globe and Mail
A big feature in the Globe on Ottawa’s deteriorating downtown was very illuminating.
Particularly the quote above.
The Ottawa Police Service has followed through on its plan to clean up the ByWard Market from its new Rideau Centre operation.
Just one problem. They’re not ‘solving’ the problem. They’re moving it to Centretown and Bank Street.
That’s rather like what happened in New York during the reign of former mayor Rudy Giuliani during the late 1990s.
Part of Giuliani’s success in reducing crime was due to aggressive policing in Manhattan, dropping national crime trends across the United States and moving crime from Manhattan to the boroughs. Giuliani’s ‘clean up” of Manhattan was more of a shuffling of the crime problem than a solution.
Solutions take time and there’s no value in just moving the crime around.
So could we have a great success in cleaning up the Market but then would we need to reduce crime in adjoining neighbourhoods?
Doubtful the folks in the Glebe would appreciate it.
Ken Gray
For You:
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OPS with ‘sweep it under the rug approach to crime’.
Thinking you can reduce crime with police….after crimes have been committed is not very clear thinking. The city needs to do a more on crime prevention, Dublin reduced violent crime by 50% in 3 years. It was intensive and involved a lot of social work…..London England followed suite and recently Boston.
We know how to reduce crime. We know how to help people reduce drug addiction and homelessness. All that is lacking is the political will. And…according to Public Safety Canada, taxpayers save a net $1.4 million for every kid diverted from crime…that means after paying for early childhood intervention, special education support, Sports programs and the Arts, mentoring is hugely effective and parental skills development, (not every family of kid needs all of these). Police can’t do it alone.