Vanguard Magazine

6 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 www.vanguardcanada.com s sIt REP Toronto police eyes 21st century policing Red tape blocks injured soldiers' path to civilian transition The Toronto Police Services (TPS) is looking into a number of sweeping changes geared at modern- izing the forces, and this could be an excellent business opportunity for Canadian technology vendors. The way forward: Modernizing Community Safe- ty in Toronto, is a 47-paged interim report that out- lines 24-key recommendations of the TPS Here are some of the recommendations of the TPS and TTF that might be of interest to vendors: connected officers The service is looking to transition from mobile workstations in vehicles to smart devices carried by all officers. This will include a full application suite and e-notebooks, as well as updating exist- ing applications to a mobile environment and al- Every year more than 1,500 Canadian Armed Forces members are released from the service due to a variety of medical reason. Transitioning into civilian life is not always smooth. However, for many ill or injured CAF members, the process means waiting for months to have their benefits applications processed and to receive the ser- vices or medical attention they require. Gary Walbourne, National Defence and CAF Ombudsman, released a complicated flow chart which detailed the hurdles that ill and injured lowing officers to be connected at all times to the most current operational information. The next steps will include research, analysis of best prac- tices, assessing network opportunities, and de- veloping and costing different options, leading to purchase decisions and implementation in 2019. data analysis, big data The TPS wants to support a new service delivery model with a beefed up capacity to collect, mea- sure, and evaluate data from a wide range of inter- nal and external sources, including an improved capacity to model demand and workload as well as analytics of large complex data sets. non-emergency reporting and response This would entail the use of alternative ways for people to report non-emergency situations. The TPS is looking into on-line, digital, and by-phone reporting tools for low-risk incidents with civilian reporting and intake personnel available by ap- pointment at police stations. traffic cameras technology to improve community safety The use of cameras that are owned and operated by the City of Toronto, in school zones and areas identified as having higher collision rates, as a way of modifying driver behaviour and reduc- ing risks. The Service will provide collision and enforcement-related data to inform where the cameras should be located. more accessible and transpar- ent information and services Investment in modern technology to offer the public open access to information and tools that communities can use to improve neighbourhood safety, including. This includes a public safety data portal to encourage the creation and use of open data for public safety in Toronto; alternative means of speaking with officers such as video calling, and social media; enhancing the TPS app to connect with a mobile-connected officer; and enhancing real-time data collection and metrics. shared services delivery for court services and parking enforcement The TPS wants an assessment of the possibilities around cost reduction through shared services between the TPS, court services; parking enforce- ment unit; and background screening related to the TPS hiring process. solders need to navigate in order to return to civilian life, once they are released from active duty. He said the document reveals that those re- leased from the service face and why it is critical that the administrative burden be dealt with. "Medically releasing from the Canadian Armed Forces is complicated," Walbourne said in a statement. "The burden has taken its toll on members transitioning from military to civilian life and their families. It is evident that a stream- lined process is needed." The report released by his office said members and veterans are frustrated by the "heavy admin- istration, the duplication of effort, the lack of clar- ity, the onus placed on them to gather the proof from CAF for VAC to determine their entitlements," and the delays in the release of benefits. "The model is broken as is evident from the plen- tiful media reports and the embarrassing statistics of service," according to the report. "It is also very unfair to the medically releasing CAF member."

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