New Ottawa Police Station Opens in Rideau Centre

Ottawa’s new police centre at the Rideau Centre has officially opened. It is a key part of the plan to improve safety and security in this busy tourist and business area.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Police Chief Eric Stubbs attended a ceremony Wednesday morning to open the Neighborhood Operations Centre on the first floor of the shopping center on Rideau Street.

“In concrete terms, this is a building where we can come together as a community, where our members can also come and strategize about what they need to do today and tomorrow, because this is not a problem that can be solved overnight,” Stubbs said.

“It’s overdue. We need to have a sustainable strategy and a sustainable presence to make a meaningful difference.”

The police said: “The NOC will act as a key coordination point to strengthen police presence and provide a space to collaborate with our local partners.”

Councillor Stephanie Plante, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier, Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs and other officials open the new Neighbourhood Operations Centre at the Rideau Centre. (Katie Griffin/CTV News Ottawa)

The new operations centre will open just before Canada Day, when there will be a heightened police presence in the area.

“One of the things we’re doing here at NOC is putting together a Frontline Coordination Team, which we’re really excited about,” said Acting Sergeant Paul Stam. “That’s going to be a weekly meeting with frontline workers and supervisors from law enforcement, paramedics, police, special agents from OC Transpo, public works and other frontline agencies.”

Ottawa police have said the Rideau Centre will not be open to the public when it first opens. The Neighbourhood Resources Team and Community Police will use the centre to coordinate operations, hold briefings and host community meetings.

The new police station was originally scheduled to open on June 3, but the opening was delayed due to “supply chain issues with a number of key components to get the station up and running,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs said it won’t open to the public until 2025 due to “staffing constraints.”

The new operations centre in the city centre shopping centre is part of the Community Outreach Response and Enforcement Strategy, which focuses on improving public safety in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street area.

The strategy also includes officers targeting “hotspots of high crime concentration” and enforcement focusing on “identifying highly dangerous offenders.”

The Ottawa Police Service is receiving $48 million from the Ontario government over three years to improve community and public safety. The funding will cover an increase in the number of uniformed officers in the ByWard Market and on public transit, along with alternative mental health services. Officials say the Community Outreach Response and Engagement Strategy is a central element of the plan.

With files from Katie Griffin of CTV News Ottawa

The new Ottawa Police Service Neighbourhood Operations Centre opened on June 26, 2024. (Josh Pringle/CTV News Ottawa)