Council endorsed development of a Community Safety Plan on Monday September 28th, proposed to generate shared ownership, vision and action among the range of government ministries and community organizations critical to community safety.
“Community safety and crime reduction are not the responsibilities of police, alone,” said Darren Caul, Community Safety Director. “Shared ownership and responsibility among safety-systems partners is critical to ensure individuals, families and communities experiencing risk factors are identified earlier, and receive timelier, targeted and effective preventative supports before they require urgent and costly intervention or emergency response.”
The planning process will engage community stakeholders, partners and Kelowna residents in order to identify and validate community safety issues and priorities as well as develop new ways to measure, monitor and report progress.
“Senior leadership from involved organizations is essential to the success and sustainability of city-wide community safety efforts,” said Colleen Cornock, project manager. “A Steering Committee comprised of senior government designates with responsibilities for systems and institutions relevant to a Kelowna Community Safety Plan will be relied upon to develop and champion a shared vision for change.”
The Community Safety Plan will build upon, but not duplicate, results from recent and relevant stakeholder engagements including Imagine Kelowna, Healthy Housing and the Journey Home Strategy among others, with focused and timely engagement strategies employed.
The plan is expected to be complete in Spring 2021. Sign-up to receive email updates about Community safety, the planning process and learn more at kelowna.ca/safety