The Community Services Bureau
The officers in our Community Services Bureau empower our community partners by engaging them in a variety of innovative programs and initiatives to create a seamless bridge between police and the community. The bureau implements programs ranging from youth programs, to crime prevention programs and from seniors programs to domestic violence investigations. These are all done with a focus on mobilizing, empowering and supporting our community.
Community Support Unit
The Community Support Unit focuses on building community partnerships, supporting and empowering vulnerable persons and capitalizing on the spirit of volunteerism to make a positive impact on the community. Community programs include Project Lifesaver, a program that uses state-of-the-art technology to locate lost or missing vulnerable people.
The York Regional Police Senior Liaison Officer is dedicated to educating and supporting our growing seniors
community. The Senior Liaison Officer works closely with six dedicated seniors investigators across the region. Cases of suspected elder abuse are reviewed by the Senior Liaison Officer who then reaches out to seniors organizations and community groups to recommend follow-up care. The Senior Liaison Officer also delivered 101 safety presentations to more than 3,000 seniors and organized the Citizens Academy for seniors in 2008.
Community Partnerships Unit
Establishing and maintaining partnerships with the community are an integral part of our vision and values. More than 200 volunteers and auxiliary officers are highly visible in the community at parades, fairs and other community events. Auxiliary officers are also trained to assist in emergency situations such as natural disasters and searches for missing persons or evidence.
One of our most popular community programs is the Citizens Academy. The latest additions to theprogram include a Seniors edition and a Chinese language edition. The Citizens Academy is a community education initiative designed to provide the public with a working knowledge of York Regional Police. The program is offered directly to the Chinese community in both Cantonese and Mandarin and provides an opportunity for individuals to learn about police practices and operations and discuss key safety issues.
In addition to our community events and volunteers, the Community Partnership Unit also includes our Mental Health Support Team. The team allows us to offer a coordinated response to individuals in crisis. Working with community crisis workers and hospital staff, the team works to increase awareness of mental health issues and decrease the likelihood of hospitalization and/or apprehension of mentally ill individuals.
Community Mobilization Unit
With a two-pronged focus on crime prevention and youth partnerships, the Community Mobilization Bureau includes the Community Safety Village and the Crime Prevention and Youth Programs units.
Crime Prevention Unit
The Crime Prevention Unit includes Community Programs, Guns and Gangs and our Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Program.
The five members of the Guns and Gangs Crime Prevention Unit are tasked with bringing to life the award-winning York Region Gangs and Guns and Youth Violence Strategy, focused on reducing violence through proactive education and enforcement.
The Crime Prevention Unit also includes designated CPTED officers who educate local business owners and the public on how to reduce their chances of becoming victims of crime through the safer design of buildings and landscapes.
2008 Highlight
Investing in our Youth 
York Regional Police believes investing in our future means investing in our youth. We are committed to innovative outreach to our young people, offering programs that educate, engage and most importantly, support our youth.
More than ever before, the Community Services Bureau is engaging our community partners, residents, teens and kids working towards the goal of Keeping Our Community Safe Together.
Proactive initiatives like the Chief’s Youth Council, our quarterly Youth Forums, the York Region Against Guns and Gangs (YRAGG) initiative and the first Youth Opportunities Camp, along with the continuation of several programs that have proved popular and successful, have allowed our officers to better understand issues facing youth today and tailor programs to meet those needs.
The Chief’s Youth Council, a 20-member committee consisting of youth from across the region, meets on a quarterly basis. These dedicated and community-minded teens give Chief Armand La Barge unique insight into the issues faced by youth on a day-to-day basis. They discuss issues relevant to youth including crime in the community, but also larger issues such as post-secondary education, employment challenges and local environmental issues.
The concept behind the Youth Council is simple: Encouraging youth to become involved in their communities, to make healthy lifestyle choices and letting them know we at York Regional Police support and applaud their success, helps keep kids on the right track and out of trouble.
The insights provided by the Youth Council allow Chief La Barge and members of the Community Services Bureau to help keep our programs up-to-date and relevant.
We also host several Youth Forums throughout the region each year, which are designed to engage both the youth and the frontline police officers who work in their schools and communities. Through role-playing and open discussion, participants share their concerns about young people and police. The forum lays the foundation for better dialogue, understanding, cooperation and respect.
The award-winning York Region Against Guns and Gangs (YRAGG) initiative, which benefits from funding from the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, has both an investigative and community-based focus.
Members of the Intelligence Bureau track the activity of gangs and gang members in York Region, while members of the Community Services Bureau educate youth about the dangers of gang involvement.
As part of the YRAGG initiative, York Regional Police has created several outreach initiatives for youth and teens including an interactive, early-years gang prevention program, unique in Ontario, for students in Grades 5 to 8 as part of the existing Values, Influences and Peers Program.
In 2008, 18 dedicated School Resource Officers (SROs) helped educate and mentor York Region youth at 59 region high schools, during 4,771 school visits. The SROs act as a primary police liaison and resource to students, educators and administrators. Officers investigate criminal offences that occur on or in relation to school property and assist other investigative units, with the focus on positive interaction and relationshipbuilding with students.
A modern, interactive website for youth and teens was created and linked to www.yrp.ca, which contains real-life scenarios where teens can make cyber choices and see the cyber consequences of their decision-making; see current information about the drugs they may be exposed to and advice on how to stand up to peer pressure; and where parents and younger children can find safety tips and advice on such issues as bullying, violent video games and Internet safety.
Also under YRAGG, the Community Safety Village has added to its youth programming with a new building dubbed the Hero House. The Hero House promotes the idea of being an everyday hero, based on character attributes and local leaders who have followed a similar path.
In addition, a new, contemporary-look series of comic books, aimed at kids aged nine to 14 called the Hero I C in Me has been created. The stylized comics teach life lessons through the trials and tribulations of three struggling teenagers who have problems of their own, but learn how to overcome challenges using character attributes.
New in 2008 was the first annual Youth Opportunities Camp held at the Community Safety Village during the summer. More than 40 York Region youth, who may not otherwise have had an opportunity to enjoy a summer camp experience, participated in the one week day camp, which featured orienteering, team building and safety messaging activities in a fun, hands-on atmosphere. Presentations included a healthy lifestyles address by the longest-serving Toronto Argonaut football player Adrion Smith, as well as those covering drug and alcohol abuse, Internet safety and staying away from gangs.
Besides the Youth Opportunities Camp and the annual Leo McArthur Youth Leadership Camp, the Community Safety Village hosted a variety of events as the venue continues to gain popularity.
During the school year, the Village welcomed 34,000 students between Grades 1 to 5 who learned valuable lessons on traffic and bicycle safety, fire and emergency preparedness and Internet safety.
Other 2008 events included Halloween in the Village, Peace Tree Day, Police Week Open House, Holidays in the Village, Black History Month and March Break Madness.
The busy members of Community Services continue to participate in a variety of popular programs and community events. They organize the Saddle Up for Success program, in partnership with Youth Assisting Youth, where at-risk youth learn to horseback ride with officers as their partners. They have created the Positive Ticket program, in partnership with Future Aces, where youth found displaying positive and helpful behaviour are rewarded with a Positive Ticket, redeemable for free items at convenience stores, local attractions and restaurants. Residents also enjoy our two free Community Skates each year.
