Ontario Crime Prevention Week Kick Off – Keynote Address

On Monday, Novemeber 7th, I had the honour of giving the keynote address for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police – Crime Prevention Kick Off.  The following is that address.

Technology and Crime Prevention

“Minister Meilleur, Chair Mukherjee, Deputy Chief Flethcher, Chief Blair, distinguished guests, members of the policing family, the media and most importantly, the public.

Crime Prevention is the most basic of all police functions.

But, it is also one of the most valuable ideals for all people to follow.

A community that is free of crime and the one that is without the perception of crime as a problem within in it is a safer one.

Throughout history, technology has played an important role in our ability to share information.

Whether it is information that can assist by raising the public awareness to identify crime trends, criminals, dangerous situations or things that will benefit the community in many ways.

Technology has been an important tool for police to embrace.

Never before has technology made it easier for criminals to commit their crimes.

Never before has it been easier for the public and police to recognize their crime and to share the information to help stop it.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogs and many other tools allow for the police to send vast amounts of information to large numbers of recipients simultaneously.

More importantly, the public has the opportunity to reach out to the police in ways never before available.

But it is important to recognize that technology is only a tool.

The discovery of the uniqueness of a finger print or DNA did not stop crime.

The use of Security cameras has not stopped crime.

And likewise, the use of social media will not stop crime.

They all allow for a level of crime prevention and detection, but the community working with the police and the police with the community is still the greatest tool there is for crime prevention and the identification of criminals.

The use of technology does allow the police and public to communicate with each other easier than ever before.

Identifying groups, associations, individuals, organizations and demographics to target key messaging to is easier than it has ever been before.

We can spread our messages faster, more efficiently and in a direct manner to those who need it, the PUBLIC.

It is you, the PUBLIC that makes the biggest difference in our use of technology.

It is you, the PUBLIC that has the greatest capacity to make real change.

It is you, the PUBLIC that holds the key to true crime prevention.

In the future, the capacity to report crimes via technology on many levels will be in place.

And that added capacity, ease and convenience will be great to respond to crimes as they happen, where they happen.

For now, lets collectively concentrate on what technology provides for us in the here and now…the increased capacity to prevent crime before it happens.

The key secret is not the technology.  It is not the tools, it is not social media.

The key is the PEOPLE and how the people use the tools.

It is the relationships that are created, built and fostered through those tools that are the true secret.

We ask that every citizen gets involved.

We are all very willing to retweet, share, post and update the latest gossip and buzz of the celebrity world.

While we recognize that answering the question, “Is Justin a new daddy” can have an earth shattering impact on all of us helping people feel safer, think safer and be safer is at the very least, just as important.

Please take the time to share our information with your friends, family and colleagues.

Stop cyber crimes by speaking out.

Stop email scams and frauds by recognizing them and speaking out.

Stop cyber bullying by speaking out.  Although not a traditional police problem, we owe it to our most vulnerable, our children, to protect them and allow them to grow in an environment that is free of bullying.  When you see it, stop it.

A community that is more informed, more aware and more involved is a community that has a greater capacity for safety and security.

Finally I would be remiss if I did not add…

Follow us on Twitter, Friend and Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube

But most importantly help us be more effective by speaking up:

If you see it, say it.

Report crimes when they happen.

Embrace crime prevention to insulate yourself from crime, not just today and this week.

But every day; every week.

Thank you.”

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There was also a great announcement to coincide with the launch this morning.  The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police introduced a new resource for Crime Prevention, where else than Facebook.