Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) is receiving more than $10 million grant to support two projects to reduce instances of elevated risk in the community.
From now until 2025, Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Grant will invest some $225 million to support 101 projects across the province that support local community safety priorities.
- Project Salus – $9,253,952
Through Project Salus, Durham Regional Police Service will create youth/gang liaison officer positions across the region and facilitate training to identify at risk youth for referrals to community partners as well as monitor and identify gang members/associates. Training and education will also be provided to frontline officers and community partners. A Bail Compliance Dashboard will also be created to ensure the compliance of high-risk offenders and aid in cross-service information sharing.
- Girls Incorporated of Durham – $105,100
It’s a By me, For me – Youth lead community leadership planning and action program. Funding will support the creation of a new Youth-led community leadership planning and action team that will bring together vulnerable and marginalized girls/young women with service providers, to co-develop activities and programs that contribute to the prevention of hate crimes in Durham Region. This program will help empower participants to become agents of social change and positively influence and improve their own local communities.
The Community Safety and Policing Grant is a grant program that provides police services with the tools and resources they need to combat crime and keep communities safe. The grant program:
- Provides greater flexibility for initiatives that respond to policing needs and priorities related to safety and well-being;
- Focuses on addressing local and provincial priorities; and
- The local priorities funding stream focuses on addressing risks to safety and well-being that are most prevalent in the community.
Projects funded under the current grant cycle of the provincial priorities funding stream focus on targeting:
- Gun and gang violence
- Sexual violence and harassment
- Human trafficking
- Mental health and addictions
- Hate-motivated crime